Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)

What They Look Like
These turtles are reddish-brown to yellow in color and have large heads. The loggerhead's shell can reach lengths of nearly 3.5 feet and weigh almost 400 pounds.

Where To See Them
You might see loggerheads swimming throughout the temperate and sub-tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, or nesting on the beaches in the western Atlantic along the U.S. coast, as well as the Mediterranean, Australia, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa.

What They Eat
Loggerheads feed on crustaceans, mollusks and other invertebrates.

How They Nest
Loggerheads reach sexual maturity between 10 to 30 years of age. The females nest three to five times a year, laying approximately 95 to 150 eggs per nest. Despite the large numbers of eggs, only one or two hatchlings out of every thousand laid will reach adulthood. The most abundant nesting site appears to be on Masirah Island in Oman where approximately 30,000 nesting females appear each year. Another common nesting area is along the Southeastern coast of the United States.

Status and Threats
Loggerhead sea turtles are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The major threats to loggerheads are capture in fishing gear and loss of nesting habitat.