Loggerhead Sea Turtle - Oceana Canada

Sea Turtles & Reptiles

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Caretta caretta

ALSO KNOWN AS

Loggerheads

DISTRIBUTION

Worldwide in tropical to temperate latitudes

ECOSYSTEM/HABITAT

Coastal to open ocean

FEEDING HABITS

Foraging predator

TAXONOMY

Order Testudines (turtles, tortoise and terrapins); Family Cheloniidae (hard shelled sea turtles)

SHARE

Loggerhead sea turtles are named for their broad, strong heads and powerful jaws. They are generalist predators and use their muscular heads and jaws to crush the shells of conch, whelks, spiny lobster and other hard-shelled invertebrates. Loggerheads are a large hard-shelled sea turtles, rivalling the green sea turtle in size. In Canada, loggerhead sea turtles are typically be found in offshore waters in the Atlantic.

 

Compared to other sea turtles, loggerheads have a relatively large head and beak, making them easily distinguishable from other species. Loggerhead sea turtles have a hard shell, called a carapace, that is typically a reddish-brown colour tinged with olive green. Their elongated, heart-shaped carapace can grow to over 1.5 metres long, however most individuals are smaller than this. A loggerhead’s body is yellow to creamy white in colour and their flippers are reddish-brown, fading to yellow along the edges. Like other sea turtles, you can tell adult males and females apart by the length of their tails – males have much longer tails than females.