Why is it in the news?
→ Warmer oceans and declining food sources observed affecting reproductive and migratory patterns of loggerhead turtles.
→ Environmental stressors highlight conservation concerns.
Category: Environment
Important Points
- The oceanic turtle belongs to the family Cheloniidae.
- Named for large heads supporting powerful jaw muscles.
- World’s largest hard-shelled turtle.
- Second largest extant turtle after leatherback sea turtle.
- Uses a geomagnetic field for navigation.
- Found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and Mediterranean Sea.
- Habitat includes offshore waters, bays, lagoons, salt marshes and creeks.
- Omnivorous diet mainly bottom-dwelling invertebrates like gastropods, bivalves and decapods.
- Lifespan up to 80 years or more.
- IUCN conservation status: Vulnerable.
- Threats include climate change, direct harvest, habitat loss, pollution and fishing bycatch.