loggerhead
Quick Summary
The loggerhead is a genus of marine turtles, Caretta, which includes the common loggerhead turtle (C. caretta). Loggerheads are one of seven species of sea turtles, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. They are primarily carnivorous, with a diet consisting of mollusks and crustaceans, and are known for having the proportionately largest head among sea turtles, which aids in crushing prey shells.123
Adult loggerheads typically have shell lengths between 0.9 and 1.2 meters (3 to 4 feet). Like other sea turtles, females come ashore to lay eggs, often nesting multiple times within a season. Loggerhead hatchlings may imprint on the magnetic field of their nesting beach and use Earth's magnetic field for navigation as adults.2
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