Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The loggerhead is a sea turtle found throughout the world's oceans and the Mediterranean. The average adult has a carapace length of about 90 cm and weighs about 135 kg, with the largest around 200 kg. The skin ranges from yellow to brown and the shell is typically reddish brown. Sexes look alike until adulthood, when males have thicker tails and shorter plastrons than females (Wikipedia, general species account).

It spends most of its life in saltwater and estuarine habitats, with females coming ashore only to lay eggs. It is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates that it breaks up with large, powerful jaws. Reproduction is slow: females lay an average of four clutches and then skip two to three years, maturity takes 17 to 33 years and lifespan is 47 to 67 years. Nationally Endangered (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).