Loggerhead

  • Loggerheads got their name from a cheeky scientist who was commenting on their big heads. Their shells are usually a dark reddish brown and their skin can be yellow to brown.
  • These turtles can live up to 67 years! They can grow to be about a metre long, though the largest was 2.7 metres long
  • Like all sea turtles, loggerheads spend most of their lives in the ocean, though the females will come up onto beach to lay their eggs in the sand.
  • Once hatched, the baby turtles have a dangerous journey into the sea, dodging hungry birds, crabs, lizards and other scavengers. If they make it into the water, they usually hang out in mats of Sargassum seaweed which offer them safety and food.
  • Loggerheads are definitely not picky eaters. They will eat jellyfish, squid, sponges, corals, worms, fish, algae, plants, molluscs, crabs and much, much more!
  • Since they are cold-blooded reptiles, they must migrate from Canada to warmer waters in the winter.
  • Loggerhead turtles can hold their breath for up to seven hours
  • These turtles also have crystals of an iron compound called magnetite in their brains which allows them to navigate the oceans based on the earth’s magnetic field