Loggerhead turtles are named for their large head and powerful jaw that enables them to feed on large shellfish. Loggerheads are keystone species playing a vital role in moving nutrients around the reef and even onto beaches in the form of eggs. They are known as floating reefs being home to as many as 100 other species such as barnacles, shrimp, algae and even small fish.

Scientific Name
Caretta caretta

Conservation status
Loggerhead turtles are classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Description
Loggerheads are recognised by their large heads and powerful jaws. Adults have a reddish brown carapace (top of shell) often highlighted with light brown and olive, though this can be hard to see as they are often covered in algae. Their plastrons (under part of shell) are a contrasting yellow. Adult carapace length averages 1 metre.

Hatchlings have a dark brown carapace and light brown or cream coloured plastron.

Distribution
The biggest loggerhead populations are found along the eastern Atlantic seaboard. They are especially concentrated around Mexico, Cuba and the Bahamas, however they can be found as far south as Brazil and as far north as Canada.  They are also found in the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Mediterranean Sea and East China Sea.

Habitat
Loggerheads are found on coral reefs and in bays and estuaries in all tropical and sub-tropical oceans.

Lifecycle
Atlantic and Pacific populations vary slightly in timing however generally juvenile loggerheads spend 6 to 12 years living in the open sea after which they move to the neritic zone (waters less than 200 meters / 650 feet deep) where they are able to feed on a wide range of benthic (on or close to the bottom of the sea) organisms. Loggerheads reach sexual maturity between 25 and 35 years of age.

Diet
Loggerhead turtles are mainly carnivorous feeding on benthic molluscs, crustaceans, sea pens, sea urchins and jellyfish. Hatchlings feed on a great variety of animals and plants – including land insects that have been blown out to sea – found around the floating mats of seaweed where they live during their early years.

Nesting
Loggerheads have the broadest nesting range of any sea turtle, nesting in both tropic and temperate waters. The largest nesting populations are in Florida, USA and Oman. Loggerheads living on the Pacific coast of Mexico migrate to Australia and Japan to nest, however these nesting populations have seriously declined in recent years, perhaps spelling the end for this population. Loggerheads nest every 2 to 4 years laying on average over 400 eggs in 4 nesting events each 12 to 17 days apart.