Loggerhead Turtle : Recent Study
A recent study revealed that the loggerhead turtle can learn and remember the magnetic signature of an area and does a ‘turtle dance’ when in a location that they associate with food.
- Loggerhead Turtle is a species of oceanic turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae.
- It is named Loggerhead for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles.
- It is the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle, slightly larger at average and maximum mature weights than the Green sea turtle and the Galapagos tortoise.
- It is also the world’s second largest extant turtle after the leatherback sea turtle.
- It uses the geomagnetic field as a map when navigating large distances.
- It has a cosmopolitan distribution, nesting over the broadest geographical range of any sea turtle. It inhabits the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.
- It is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as gastropods, bivalves, and decapods. It has a greater list of known prey than any other sea turtle.
- Conservation status:
- IUCN: Vulnerable
- Threats: Bycatch in fishing gear, Climate change, Direct harvest of turtles and eggs, Loss and degradation of nesting habitat, Ocean pollution/marine debris.
