Loggerhead sea turtle

Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is a representative of the sea turtles and is probably the best known and the most common of this group represents the most knowledge about sea turtles in general come from research on this Article

Features

The loggerhead turtle is the carapace ( carapace ) up to 120 inches long. It reaches a weight of up to 110 kilograms. The basic color of the animal is reddish brown, adult animals are given a tan belly tanks. From the hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata ), it differs in a thicker head with powerful jaws and five instead of four pairs of ribs shields.

The males can be recognized that they have a longer tail, as well as longer and more curved claws. Your plastron is slightly shorter. Your carapace is more flattened and wider.

Dissemination

The loggerhead sea turtle is found in all tropical and subtropical seas, including the Mediterranean. The females lay their eggs on the beach, among other things, on Zakynthos in Laganas Bay as well as in Cyprus in the Lara Bay and along the shore of Anamur / southern Turkey. From the way two subspecies are known, the Caretta caretta caretta and the Caretta caretta gigas. The latter subspecies is native to the Indo-Pacific. Some authors maintain a distinction between subspecies in the loggerhead turtle is not justified.

Nutrition

The food of animals consists mainly of crustaceans, cephalopods, jellyfish, sea urchins and other animals, but they also eat seaweed. In stomachs of studied loggerhead hatchlings, however, even of the same species were found.

Reproduction

Mating usually takes place at the water surface. The females lay several clutches each comprising 23-178 eggs. The distance between the egg-laying is 12-23 days. The eggs are round and have a leathery shell. The incubation period depends on the ambient temperature, and is 49 to 80 days. The largest known nesting colony of this species of turtle found on the island of Masirah, Sultanate of Oman, which belongs to. There lay an average of 30,000 loggerhead turtles each year Nistgruben.

Endangering

Due to their meat, their eggs, their fat ( for cosmetics or as a potential remedy ) and tortoiseshell to spot loggerhead were intensively hunted until their populations collapsed. Today, both subspecies are threatened with extinction and are available through the Washington Convention under international protection. Currently, the main danger is for the animals from the trawl crab fishing, which many fall victim each year. Internationally, animal rights activists and organizations are trying to survival of the species, including through the guarding of nesting beaches, as in Turkey, on Zakynthos (Greece ) or in Costa Rica. In 2006, such a program was first held on the 18 kilometers long coast of the town of Anamur in southern Turkey and to the surprise of all parties concerned have had about 600 nests are protected. On the Cape Verde islands, the turtles are also threatened by hunters. The Turtle Foundation patrolling the nesting beaches in order to ensure the preservation of the stock. In the Messara bay in the south of Crete since 2006 threatens a major container port, which is intended to promote Greece on the road to the traffic hub, but threatens the populations of Caretta caretta. WWF and turtle conservation covenant to follow developments at the political level.