Loggerhead turtle

Loggerhead turtle
Caretta caretta
1.5 m for 150 kg

 

Geographical distribution:
Its distribution is world-wide, except in the eastern part of the Pacific, from the Galapagos to the coasts of South America. 

 

Bioscope:
It is the most widely-spread species and sadly the most exploited by man.
This turtle is a carnivore and, like the seven other species of turtle, it never comes out of the water except when the female lays its eggs in the sand.  When the reproduction period approaches, the adult migrates long distances across the ocean and always lays her eggs in the same place.  To do this, the turtles use the earth’s magnetic fields and their “olfactive memory”.

All species of marine turtles are protected and are placed in Appendix I of the CITES or Washington convention (a convention concerning the international trade in wild animal and plant species threatened with extinction).  In fact, turtles are severely threatened because their egg-laying sites are often disturbed (urban development, tourism) and they also suffer as a result of sea pollution (for example they eat plastic bags which look like jellyfish in the water).  Their flesh and shell are highly sought-after and drift nets are also harmful to them.

At the Saint-Malo Grand Aquarium, four turtles, around 30 years old and of three different species, share the aquarium with the sharks and the 1.20-metre grouper.  Fed on squid, herring and mackerel, the loggerhead turtle is also keen on salad!

Who do you think is the boss in this aquarium ?


 

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