Loggerhead Sea Turtle
A loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta. Photo by Dennis Liberson.
Loggerhead Release Graduate student Kate Mansfield and a team of researchers from VIMS and the Army Corps of Engineers release two rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtles into Chesapeake Bay. Mansfield will track the pair using satellite tags. Photo by David Malmquist.
Tagged Loggerhead Outfitted with a satellite tag, this loggerhead sea turtle returns to the water. Photo by Erin Seeney.
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Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are the most common sea turtle in Chesapeake Bay and the most abundant in U.S. waters. Loggerheads are listed as “threatened” in US waters. Mainly juveniles are found here, foraging on blue crab, horseshoe crab, whelk, fishes, and sea grasses. The average length of loggerheads in Virginia waters is ~ 70 cm (28 in.)
Status
"Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (1973)
Size
Adults 84 -102 cm (33 - 40 in) long, 150 - 400 pounds
Sexual maturity
20-30 years
Nesting Habitat
Warm temperate or subtropical beaches, open beach
Juvenile Habitat
Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina sounds, Mediterranean
Diet
Blue/horseshoe crabs, whelk, fish, sea grasses