{"id":2553,"date":"2007-07-31T10:27:00","date_gmt":"2007-07-31T11:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/2007\/07\/30\/caretta-caretta-loggerhead-turtle\/"},"modified":"2020-02-12T11:59:32","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:59:32","slug":"caretta-caretta-loggerhead-turtle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/caretta-caretta-loggerhead-turtle\/","title":{"rendered":"Loggerhead turtle fact sheet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Caretta caretta<\/em> |\u00a0Loggerhead turtle\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Loggerhead turtles are distributed throughout tropical to subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. They inhabit open water, but can also be found in coastal areas, including bays and rivers. They are solitary, navigating ocean currents at an average\u00a0depth\u00a0of 10 m. Loggerhead turtles are the most common\u00a0species of sea turtle in the Azores. In this area we mostly encounter young individuals that have drifted here on the gulf stream and will return to their nesting grounds on the west side of the Atlantic when they become 10-12 years old. They hibernate in deep water and can stay submerged for weeks without surfacing. The loggerhead turtles found in the Atlantic and Mediterranean breed in open water from May until September. Every second to third year females come ashore to lay their eggs in 50 cm deep holes which they dig out (the sex of the offspring depends on the\u00a0 temperature surrounding the egg). Sometimes a small crab Planes minutus<\/em> inhabit the cavity of the plastron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Length:\u00a0<\/strong>
\u2022\u00a0Total:\u00a0Up to\u00a0120 cm
\u2022\u00a0Carapace: 90 – 100 cm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight:\u00a0<\/strong>Up to 200 kg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global population:\u00a0<\/strong>c.180 000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Status:\u00a0<\/strong>Endangered\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diet:\u00a0<\/strong>Mollusca, crustacea,\u00a0 cnidaria, porifera,\u00a0 cephalopoda, echinodermata<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longevity: <\/strong>c.100 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breeding age:\u00a0<\/strong>15 – 30 yrs (c.70 cm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number of eggs:\u00a0<\/strong>c.200<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incubation:\u00a0<\/strong>42 -72 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other languages<\/strong>
Portuguese: Tartaruga boba\/Tartaruga comum
Spanish: Tortuga boba
French: Tortue caouanne
Italian: Tartaruga comune
German: Unechte karettschildkr\u00f6te
Dutch: Onechte karetschildpad
Swedish:\u00a0O\u00e4kta\u00a0karettsk\u00f6ldpadda\u00a0
Norwegian: Glatt karett
Danish:\u00a0U\u00e6gtekaretta\u00a0
Finnish:\u00a0Valekarettikilpikonna
Polish: Karetta
Russian: –<\/p>\n\n\n\n