Loggerhead Sea Turtle's Life Cycle
Loggerhead turtles can be found in mainly in warm ocean waters all over the world. They spend almost all of their time underwater, rising to the surface occasionally for air. Not much has been known about sea turtles until recently when researchers began attaching radio transmitters to hatchlings.
Nesting
A female turtle lays her eggs on the beach at night. Once on the beach, she hollows out a nest in the sand. It takes two or three hours for her to lay up to 200 eggs. Then she covers the eggs with sand and returns to the ocean.
Hatching
The baby turtles hatch about two months later. Once they have hatched, they immediately head to the ocean where they are safer than on land. Birds often prey on the turtles before they make it to the safety of the water.
Predators
Before they are hatched, eggs are threatened by dogs, birds, raccoons and humans. Once hatched and in the ocean, loggerhead turtles' main predator is sharks. While they are small, larger fish may eat them.
Longevity
Loggerhead turtles live between 30 and 50 years. They do not reach sexual maturity until around age 12.
Size
Adult turtles can weigh between 150 and 500 pounds. They can swim almost 15 mile per hour, and have been known to swim as far as 3,000 miles.
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