Loggerhead Turtles
During the month of September while on charters, I spotted two loggerhead turtles surfacing for air. One was in Captiva Pass and the other on the east side of Useppa Island.
During routine activity, like swimming or feeding, the turtles surface every few minutes. But to the dismay of my onboard guests, these turtles were on the move and quite possibly staying underwater for hours. They have been known to hold their breath for up to eight hours!
Loggerheads are the predominant species of sea turtle visiting our local Southwest Florida waters. Only females come onto the beaches in order to lay their eggs.
Adult males and juveniles remain in the ocean, feeding and mating. Females usually nest from May through August. Hatchlings begin to emerge 60 days after the nests are laid and continue to hatch through October. Hundreds of nests are laid each year.
The loggerhead is known for its massive head and heart-shaped shell. Adults weigh an average of 275 pounds and have a shell length of about 3 feet. Each of its flippers has two claws.
The powerful jaws of the loggerhead allow it to easily crush clams, crabs, and other armored animals it eats. As is true for all sea turtles, the adult male has a long tail and the female has a shorter tail.
Normally, loggerheads cruise at just a few miles per hour, but can swim at burst speeds of up to 22 miles per hour when frightened or needing to escape a threat. They are better known for their endurance, capable of swimming thousands of miles during migration.
Loggerheads have a low resting metabolic rate that helps them conserve energy during long journeys. Their large, strong front flippers act like paddles while the smaller hind flippers are used for steering.
Loggerheads can live to be 50+ years old. Their diet consists of mostly jellyfish, mollusks and crustaceans. Loggerheads avoid stings from jellyfish by closing their eyes to protect them from stinging tentacles.
They use their hard, keratin-based beak to bite the jellyfish mantle. Their throats and stomachs are lined with thick skin and specialized spiny growths to prevent injury.
Capt. Cathy Eagle
Capt. Cathy's Boat Tours
Matlacha, Florida
(239) 994-2572
www.CaptainCathy.com
