Animalia > Chordata > Testudines > Cheloniidae > Caretta > Caretta carettaCaretta caretta (Loggerhead)Synonyms: Caouana cephalo; Caouana elongata; Caretta atra; Caretta caretta caretta; Caretta caretta gigas; Caretta gigas; Caretta nasuta; Cephalochelys oceanica; Chelonia caretta; Chelonia dubia; Chelonia multiscutata; Chelonia pelasgica; Chelonia pelasgorum; Chelonia polyaspis; Halichelys atra; Testudo caouana; Testudo caretta (homotypic); Testudo cephalo; Testudo corianna; Testudo lauanna; Testudo marina; Testudo nasicornis; Thalassiochelys tarapacona; Thalassochelys atra; Thalassochelys caretta; Thalassochelys controversa; Thalassochelys corticata The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), or loggerhead, is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) long when fully grown, although larger specimens of up to 280 cm (110 in) have been discovered. The adult loggerhead sea turtle weighs approximately 135 kg (298 lb), with the largest specimens weighing in at more than 450 kg (1,000 lb). The skin ranges from yellow to brown in color, and the shell is typically reddish-brown. No external differences in gender are seen until the turtle becomes an adult, the most obvious difference being the adult males have thicker tails and shorter plastrons than the females. |
Gestation [2] | 60 days | Litter Size [2] | 115 | Litters / Year [4] | 1 | Maximum Longevity [2] | 37 years | Migration [1] | Interoceanic | Water Biome [1] | Pelagic, Reef, Coastal, Brackish Water |  | Adult Weight [2] | 345.025 lbs (156.50 kg) | Birth Weight [3] | 20 grams | Female Weight [3] | 203.708 lbs (92.40 kg) |  | Diet [1] | Omnivore |  | Female Maturity [2] | 10 years | Male Maturity [2] | 10 years |
|
Name |
Countries |
Ecozone |
Biome |
Species |
Report |
Climate |
Land Use |
Alta Paraná Atlantic forests |
Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Amazon-Orinoco-Southern Caribbean mangroves |
Brazil, Columbia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela |
Neotropic |
Mangroves |
|
|
|
|
Atlantic Coast restingas |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Bahia coastal forests |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Bahia interior forests |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Caatinga |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
|
|
|
Changjiang Plain evergreen forests |
China |
Palearctic |
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests |
|
|
|
|
Chocó-Darién moist forests |
Colombia, Panama |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Deccan thorn scrub forests |
India, Sri Lanka |
Indo-Malayan |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
|
|
|
Greater Negros-Panay rain forests |
Philippines |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Hainan Island monsoon rain forests |
China |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Huang He Plain mixed forests |
China |
Palearctic |
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests |
|
|
|
|
Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests |
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Jian Nan subtropical evergreen forests |
China |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Luzon rain forests |
Philippines |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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|
|
Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests |
Maldives |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Marajó varzea |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Mesoamerican Gulf-Caribbean mangroves |
Bahamas, United Kingdom |
Neotropic |
Mangroves |
|
|
|
|
Mindanao-Eastern Visayas rain forests |
Philippines |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Northeastern Brazil restingas |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Palawan rain forests |
Philippines |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Pernambuco coastal forests |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Pernambuco interior forests |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Serra do Mar coastal forests |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
South American Pacific mangroves |
Colombia, Panama, Ecuador |
Neotropic |
Mangroves |
|
|
|
|
South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forests |
China, Viet Nam |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Southern Atlantic mangroves |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Mangroves |
|
|
|
|
Tocantins/Pindare moist forests |
Brazil |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
|
|
|
|
Yellow Sea saline meadow |
China |
Palearctic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
|
|
|
|
Name |
IUCN Category |
Area acres |
Location |
Species |
Website |
Climate |
Land Use |
AMVRAKIKOS KOLPOS, DELTA LOUROU KAI ARACHTHOU (PETRA, MYTIKAS, EVRYTERI PERIOCHI) |
|
71136 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
AMVRAKIKOS KOLPOS, LIMNOTHALASSA KATAFOURKO KAI KORAKONISIA |
|
56861 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
ARKOI, LEIPSOI, AGATHONISI KAI VRACHONISIDES |
|
30660 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
ASTYPALAIA: ANATOLIKO TMIMA, GYRO NISIDES KAI OFIDOUSSA KAI THALASSIA ZONI (AKR. LANTRA - AKR. VRYSI |
|
17365 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Abrolhos Marine National Park |
|
225607 |
Bahia, Brazil |
|
|
|
|
Akyatan Lagoon |
|
36324 |
Adana, Turkey |
|
|
|
|
Archipiélago Los Roques National Park |
|
409203 |
Venezuela |
|
|
|
|
Arcipelago La Maddalena |
|
51781 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Arcipelago delle Pelagie - area marina e terrestre |
|
31419 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Arxipèlag de Cabrera |
|
50735 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Ashmore Reef Commonwealth Marine Reserve |
|
144062 |
Australia |
|
|
|
|
BAHIA DE CADIZ |
|
26000 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Badies de Pollença i Alcúdia |
|
75991 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Banc d'Arguin National Park |
II |
2949017 |
Mauritania |
|
|
|
|
Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve |
VI |
358906 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
Bañados del Este Wetland Reserve |
|
986054 |
Uruguay |
|
|
|
|
CHERSONISOS RODOPOU - PARALIA MALEME |
|
21739 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Cap Enderrocat-cap Blanc |
|
17495 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Cap de Creus |
|
34210 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Cape Lookout National Seashore |
II |
18379 |
North Carolina, United States |
|
|
|
|
Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries/ Bae Caerfyrddin ac Aberoedd |
|
163340 |
Wales, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Carolinian-South Atlantic Biosphere Reserve |
|
310228 |
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, United States |
|
|
|
|
Central Gulf Coastal Plain Biosphere Reserve |
|
40530 |
United States |
|
|
|
|
Christmas Island National Park |
II |
21698 |
Christmas Island, Australia |
|
|
|
|
Coorong National Park |
II |
121235 |
South Australia, Australia |
|
|
|
|
Costa e Entroterra di Bosa, Suni e Montresta |
|
20302 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Costes del Garraf |
|
65418 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Cumberland Island National Seashore |
II |
20629 |
Georgia, United States |
|
|
|
|
DELTA ACHELOOU, LIMNOTHALASSA MESOLONGIOU - AITOLIKOU, EKVOLES EVINOU, NISOI ECHINADES, NISOS PETALA |
|
87747 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
DELTA NESTOU KAI LIMNOTHALASSES KERAMOTIS - EVRYTERI PERIOCHI KAI PARAKTIA ZONI |
|
55561 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
DELTA NESTOU KAI LIMNOTHALASSES KERAMOTIS KAI NISOS THASOPOULA |
|
36139 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
DRAPANO (VOREIOANATOLIKES AKTES) - PARALIA GEORGIOUPOLIS - LIMNI KOURNA |
|
11147 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
DYTIKES AKTES KEFALONIAS - STENO KEFALONIAS ITHAKIS - VOREIA ITHAKI (AKROTIRIA GERO GKOMPOS - DRAKOU |
|
46314 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
DYTIKES KAI VOREIOANATOLIKES AKTES ZAKYNTHOU |
|
52928 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Delta de l'Ebre |
|
119562 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Delta du Saloum National Park |
II |
179029 |
Senegal |
|
|
|
|
Duna e Lago di Lesina - Foce del Fortore |
|
24273 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Dzilam de Bravo Wetland Reserve |
|
149170 |
Yucatan, Mexico |
|
|
|
|
EKVOLES EVROTA |
|
13269 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
ESTRECHO |
|
47388 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
ETHNIKO THALASSIO PARKO ALONNISOU - VOREION SPORADON, ANATOLIKI SKOPELOS |
|
615652 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Firth of Lorn |
|
51830 |
Scotland, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary |
IV |
2387149 |
Florida, United States |
|
|
|
|
Golfo di Orosei |
|
71515 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Gulf Island National Seashore |
II |
67487 |
Florida, Mississippi, United States |
|
|
|
|
Ilhas Desertas |
|
27927 |
Portugal |
|
|
|
|
Ilhas Selvagens |
|
14214 |
Portugal |
|
|
|
|
Illes Columbretes |
|
30409 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Illots de Benidorm i Serra Gelada |
|
15302 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancun y Punta Nizuc National Park |
II |
21428 |
Quintana Roo, Mexico |
|
|
|
|
Isles of Scilly Complex |
|
66350 |
England, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Isola Asinara |
|
23893 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isola di Capraia - area terrestre e marina |
|
45475 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isola di Giannutri - area terrestre e marina |
|
27236 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isola di Gorgona - area terrestre e marina |
|
36616 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isola di Montecristo e Formica di Montecristo - area terrestre e marina |
|
38259 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isola di Pianosa - area terrestre e marina |
|
13586 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isole del Nord - Est tra Capo Ceraso e Stagno di San Teodoro |
|
44909 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Isole di Ponza, Palmarola, Zannone, Ventotene e S. Stefano |
|
42423 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
KOLPOS LAGANA ZAKYNTHOU (AKR. GERAKI - KERI) KAI NISIDES MARATHONISI KAI PELOUZO |
|
17193 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
KOS: AKROTIRIO LOUROS - LIMNI PSALIDI - OROS DIKAIOS - ALYKI - PARAKTIA THALASSIA ZONI |
|
25052 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
La Amistad International Park National Park |
II |
541617 |
Panama, Costa Rica |
|
|
|
|
Laghi di Lesina e Varano |
|
37550 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Laguna di Marano e Grado |
|
40434 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Lands End and Cape Bank |
|
74557 |
England, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Litorale di Gallipoli e Isola S. Andrea |
|
17312 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Lyme Bay and Torbay |
|
77215 |
England, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Marchesato e Fiume Neto |
|
173480 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Mochima National Park |
|
206087 |
Venezuela |
|
|
|
|
Monte Capanne e promontorio dell'Enfola |
|
16694 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Morecambe Bay |
|
151985 |
England, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
NISOI GAVDOS KAI GAVDOPOULA |
|
15544 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
NISOI SAPIENTZA KAI SCHIZA, AKROTIRIO AKRITAS |
|
27903 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
PARAKTIA THALASSIA ZONI APO AKR. KYLLINI EOS TOUMPI - KALOGRIA |
|
32535 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
PRASSANO FARANGI - PATSOS - SFAKORYAKO REMA - PARALIA RETHYMNOU KAI EKVOLI GEROPOTAMOU, AKR. LIANOS |
|
32424 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Padre Island National Seashore |
II |
42068 |
Texas, United States |
|
|
|
|
Palawan Biosphere Reserve |
|
2843689 |
Philippines |
|
|
|
|
Paludi presso il Golfo di Manfredonia |
|
35675 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Parco Del Cilento e Vallo de Diano National Park |
|
551095 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Pembrokeshire Marine/ Sir Benfro Forol |
|
341177 |
Wales, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Pen Llyn a`r Sarnau/ Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau |
|
360832 |
Wales, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Reserva Especial de la Biosfera Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve |
VI |
202424 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
Reserva Estatal del Palmar Reserve |
|
122954 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
Reserva de la Biosfera de Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve |
VI |
1312618 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
Reserva del Noroeste Biosphere Reserve |
|
571807 |
Peru |
|
|
|
|
Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve |
VI |
149920 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
SAMOS: OROS KERKETEFS - MIKRO KAI MEGALO SEITANI - DASOS KASTANIAS KAI LEKKAS, AKR. KATAVASIS - LIME |
|
16515 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Sacca di Goro, Po di Goro, Valle Dindona, Foce del Po di Volano |
|
12039 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Santee Coastal Reserve and Washo Reserve State Habitat Area |
IV |
20850 |
South Carolina, United States |
|
|
|
|
Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera |
|
40611 |
Spain |
|
|
|
|
Solent Maritime |
|
27985 |
England, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
Solway Firth |
|
107829 |
England/Scotland, United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
South Atlantic Coastal Plain Biosphere Reserve |
|
20317 |
South Carolina, United States |
|
|
|
|
Stagno di Corru S'Ittiri |
|
14083 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
THALASSIA PERIOCHI KOLPOU KYPARISSIAS: AKR. KATAKOLO - KYPARISSIA |
|
27286 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Torre Guaceto e Macchia S. Giovanni |
|
19714 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Torre Manfria, Biviere e Piana di Gela |
|
44096 |
Italy |
|
|
|
|
Virginia Coast Biosphere Reserve |
|
33386 |
Virginia, United States |
|
|
|
|
YGROTOPOS EKVOLON KALAMA KAI NISOS PRASOUDI |
|
21108 |
Greece |
|
|
|
|
Yancheng Nature Reserve |
V |
711488 |
China |
|
|
|
|
Name |
Location |
Endemic |
Species |
Website |
Atlantic Forest |
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay |
No |
|
|
Caribbean Islands |
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent And The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks And Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands - British, Virgin Islands - U.S. |
No |
|
|
Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa |
Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania |
No |
|
|
Indo-Burma |
Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam |
No |
|
|
Japan |
Japan |
No |
|
|
Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands |
Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles |
No |
|
|
Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany |
Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland |
No |
|
|
Mediterranean Basin |
Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey |
No |
|
|
Mesoamerica |
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama |
No |
|
|
Western Ghats and Sri Lanka |
India, Sri Lanka |
No |
|
|
|
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 01, 2010 at animaldiversity.org♦ 2de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774 ♦ 3Nathan P. Myhrvold, Elita Baldridge, Benjamin Chan, Dhileep Sivam, Daniel L. Freeman, and S. K. Morgan Ernest. 2015. An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96:3109 ♦ 4Turtles and Tortoises Demographic Traits Database for CITES Listed Species ver. 01, Species360 (2018) ♦ 5Jorrit H. Poelen, James D. Simons and Chris J. Mungall. (2014). Global Biotic Interactions: An open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics. ♦ 6Queen Conch Predators: Not a Roadblock to Mariculture, Darryl E. Jory and Edwin S. Iversen, Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst. 35:108-111. (1983) ♦ 7HISTORICAL DIET ANALYSIS OF LOGGERHEAD (CARETTA CARETTA) AND KEMPS RIDLEY (LEPIDOCHELYS KEMPI) SEA TURTLES IN VIRGINIA, Erin E. Seney, A Thesis Presented to
The Faculty of the School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary in Virginia (2003) ♦ 8Food Habits of Reef Fishes of the West Indies, John E. Randall, Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. 5, 665–847 (1967) ♦ 9Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 Wildfinder Database |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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