Caretta

Caretta is a genus of sea turtles in the family Cheloniidae. The only living species traditionally placed in this genus is Caretta caretta, commonly known as the loggerhead sea turtle. The genus also includes several extinct fossil species described from earlier deposits. The name reflects the species’ relatively large heads and powerful jaws.

Loggerheads occur in warm-temperate and tropical oceans worldwide, with major nesting populations along the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific coasts. They use coastal waters and continental shelves for feeding and migrate long distances between foraging grounds and nesting beaches. Juveniles often spend years at sea before returning to coastal areas to nest.

They are among the larger sea turtles. Carapace length commonly ranges from about 70 to 110 cm, with weights typically in the 80 to 160 kg range. The carapace is generally reddish-brown. The head is large with strong jaws adapted to crushing mollusks and crustaceans. Diet is primarily carnivorous, feeding on mollusks, crustaceans, and occasionally fish and jellyfish. Reproduction involves females laying multiple clutches on beaches during a nesting season; each clutch contains dozens of eggs. Incubation lasts roughly 50 to 60 days, with incubation temperature influencing the sex of hatchlings.

Conservation: The loggerhead is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with regional populations facing different levels of threat. Major threats include bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries, habitat loss and coastal development, entanglement and ingestion of marine debris, and the impacts of climate change on nesting beaches and sex ratios. Conservation measures include protected nesting beaches, seasonal harvest restrictions, turtle-excluder devices on trawl nets, bycatch mitigation in fisheries, and habitat monitoring and research.