The Loggerhead Sea Turtle | Breeding and Nesting

The Loggerhead is the only sea turtle that successfully nest outside of the tropics. It’s just important that the water temperature is over 20 degrees Celsius. As with the other species of sea turtles, the females return to the same beach as they were hatched to lay their eggs. During a breeding season a female Loggerhead sea turtle may nest several times.

Breeding process occurs mostly at the ship wreck, coral reefs or shallow water where foods are abundant. Male Loggerheads will signal the female using its concave and flippers to attract females. Scientist studies the paternity in Loggerhead using allozyme analysis to suggest multiple paternities. In subsequent studies states the multiple paternity occurs in species to specie and location to locations.

The breeding occurs mostly during the months of October. Individual females nest every two to five years but can lay up to 5 clutches. This numbers doesn’t guarantee a huge number of hatchlings to mature and reach adulthoods. Sea creatures eat the youngster during their journey. Some even dies on the nest futile hatchlings can’t reach the open sea.

When the female turtle leaves the sea she drags herself up the beach until she finds a suited place for a nest.

With her back flippers she makes a hole where she deposits between 50 and 150 eggs. The eggs have the size of golf balls. When the last egg is laid, the turtle uses the flippers to cover the eggs with sand and with her plastron she tramps down the sand. Nesting can take between one and three hours. About 2 months later the eggs hatch. The actual length of incubations depends on the weather.

If its cooler it takes longer to hatch the eggs. Actually the cooler weather will also produce more male hatchlings.

As the hatchlings leaves the eggs the sand in the nest falls down to the bottom of the nest and the hatchlings can emerge to the top and the dangerous trip to the sea starts. When they reach the sea the male Loggerheads won’t return to land again and the females will only return for laying eggs.

Hatchlings require the travel from their nest to the ocean in order to build up strength for the journey ahead, so interfering by helping it to the ocean actually lowers their chances of survival.

The color on the hatchlings can vary from light to dark brown. The plastron and other under parts has a faded yellow ochre appearance. Flippers are dark gray to brown above with white to white-gray margins. When they emerge the hatchlings is usually just below 5 cm long and weighs about 20g.

The hatchlings look for the brightest spot on the horizon when they emerge from the nest. This s normally the sea reflecting whatever light there is in the sky. Now a dangerous trip starts as they head for the sea. As long as they stay on the beach they’re prey for gulls, hawks, ghost crabs, vultures etc. Once they are in the ocean, the turtles become potential prey for octopi, sharks, and other large fish. Usually females lay three to five nests, and sometimes more, during a single nesting season.

People around the globe are not knowledgeable enough to understand the balance of nature. One of the best examples is the Loggerheads nesting. An increase temperature will deteriorate the number of females in each clutch. The hotter the temperature the more numbers of male Loggerhead turtles is produce. As you can see the abnormalities of the climates can really cause trouble to the balance of nature.

Breeding and nesting of this endangered species should be protected well. Everyone has its function in this world. And as human we are more capable of protecting each species not just the sea turtles but all the specie around us. They might be futile or useless but they have their own share like the Loggerhead turtles. Take action before it’s too late. The turtle you save will eventually saves you in other way.

In United States Loggerhead sea turtles are the most common to nest. Loggerheads nest from Texas to North Carolina where there is little light pollution. Loggerheads require soft sandy beaches. Nesting occurs during night, less predator search for food during nights. As the female Loggerheads about to lie eggs. It digs on sandy beach using its flippers and can lay approximately 70-150 eggs.
Sixty days after hatchlings emerges, usually at night, when predators are asleep. During fertilization eggs can’t be figured by gender it is the ambient temperature of the sand can trigger the gender of each egg after 8 days from hatch. Normally eggs at inner cores are males, as often, the core is the hottest part of the clutch.

As when the hatchling moves to the sea water, there the journey starts. Interfering the by means of helping the hatchlings to reach the sea water fast can lower the chance of survival. Imagine how beautiful nature is, you need to let the hatchlings struggle because there is more danger in their voyage to the ocean. Female hatchlings will get back to the nest only during adulthood when there about to lay their own eggs. The sensitive smell of Loggerhead turtles helps them to go back to where they’re hatch. The baby Loggerhead usually has a shell length five to eight centimeters. Some hatchlings will be carried with the oceans current flow and some are blown with the storm.