Loggerhead turtles have large ranges in the Indian and Pacific oceans and are only occasional visitors to Tasmanian waters. They do not breed here.
Loggerhead turtles grow to an average of one metre in length and reach sexual maturity around 30 years of age. Their shells are red-brown to brown in colour. They occur world-wide, inhabiting tropical and temperate waters such as coral reefs, bays and estuaries. They migrate from their feeding grounds in Indonesia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland to nest along eastern and western Australian coastlines. Loggerhead turtles feed mostly on benthic gastropods and bivalve molluscs, crabs and echinoderms but will also eat jellyfish and some other microplankton. They may only breed every five to six years. There is a worldwide decline in marine turtle numbers attributed to harvesting for food and the trade in turtle shells. Threats in Australian waters are from disturbance to breeding areas, ingestion of plastics and entanglement in ropes and nets.
Source; Bryant, S. L. and Jackson, J. (1999). Tasmania’s Threatened Fauna Handbook. Threatened Species Unit, Parks and Wildlife Service, Hobart.
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