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Writer's pictureJennifer J

The Loggerhead Turtle


The Loggerhead Turtle is a species of Turtle which can be found around the world. Loggerhead Turtles are usually found in warmer climates though, they are found in places such as: the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. But, these cute animals are also found in the Atlantic Ocean.

These cute marine animals don't just spend time in oceans and seas, they also spend time on land. However, their time on land is restricted to the shore, but it is only for a very short time: female Loggerhead Turtles come onshore to lay their eggs. Female Loggerhead Turtles lay a lot of eggs each time they lay eggs on the shore: female Loggerhead Turtles lay between 100 and 200 eggs on the shore each time that they lay eggs on the shore.

The hatchlings of Loggerhead Turtles do not take that long to hatch, within a few weeks of female Loggerhead Turtles laying their eggs on the shore, the eggs will hatch and hatchlings will make their way out into the sea.

Loggerhead Turtles can live a long time in the wild: Loggerhead Turtles can live up to 50 years in the wild if they don't face any dangers.

What Types Of Dangers Do Loggerhead Turtles Face?

Loggerhead Turtles are particularly vulnerable when they are young hatchlings - that is when they face the most danger from other wild animals, as they face the danger of being eaten by other animals, such as birds, snakes, crabs and other wild animals. However, their biggest threat doesn't come from other animals, the biggest threat that Loggerhead Turtles face is from humans.

Humans pose a significant danger to Loggerhead Turtles, which is why these beautiful animals are vulnerable to extinction. There are many threats to Loggerhead Turtles caused by humans, these threats include:

. The destruction of their habitat for 'development'

. Humans disturbing them and their habitat

. Fishing/fishing nets becoming entangled on the Turtles

. Pollution: both onshore pollution and marine pollution

. Climate change/extreme weather events

All of these things and more are a serious threat to Loggerhead Turtles. It is why they are vulnerable to extinction, and it is also why their population is decreasing.

What Are The Solutions To Helping Loggerhead Turtles?

There are many ways that we can help Loggerhead Turtles, to preserve them for the future. One of the best ways that humans can help Loggerhead Turtles is to leave them alone and don't disturb them - only get involve if the animals are injured or have plastic pollution stuck to them (or call a wildlife charity to inform them of the injured Turtle), but others, leave the Turtles alone when you see them in the wild, disturbing them can cause them stress and harm.

Another way that you can help these animals, and other animals, is to take away any rubbish you have if you go to the beach and put it in the bin - pollution can cause wild animals to suffer if they are caught in it, and can even kill them, so taking a few minutes to discard of your rubbish properly can help save an animals life. Another way to help them in this way is to take part in a local beach clean, where people clean up plastic pollution on their nearest beach.

Another way that people can help Loggerhead Turtles is by discarding fishing hooks and fishing nets properly, rather than throwing them into the sea, or leaving them on the beach. Fishing hooks and nets can also cause animals like Loggerhead Turtles to suffer, so, just taking a few minutes to discard of these things the correct way can help save an animals life. Fishing nets cause a high amount of deaths in animals like Loggerhead Turtles.

Finally, another way to help Loggerhead Turtles, is by doing something to stop climate change. Small changes in your life can reduce your carbon footprint, and help reduce climate change, making a small change in the home like doing an eco-wash can help you to become more environmentally friendly while at the same time it takes minimal effort to do, so it's a win-win!

Other Ways That You Can Help Save Loggerhead Turtles

There are a few final ways that you can help save Loggerhead Turtles.

You can help Loggerhead Turtles by:

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