The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is the only member of the Caretta genus. It's Latin name is simply Caretta caretta. These magnificent animals grow to be up to about 800 pounds and 3 ½ feet in length. Their skin has a yellow tinge with spots of brown, and their large shells are typically a red-brown in color. They have four flat fins for swimming long distances, and relatively large head that ends in a small beak-like mouth. Their young appear darker in color when they are born and their eggs look much like small round ping-pong balls. Loggerheads reproduce every two or three years. During the months of June and July (usually the warmest months), the females make nests in which they lay their eggs. After burying these eggs, they return to the sea, leaving the unhatched young to fend for themselves. Each clutch, or set of eggs, consists of a fairly large number of eggs; typically between 70 and 150. Immediately after hatching, the newborn turtles follow the brightest light that they can see (usually the sun) to the ocean where they begin their aquatic lives.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles are a migratory species that travel through the Sargasso Sea through various ocean currents. They can be found in various parts of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Like many other species of turtle and tortoise, Loggerhead Sea Turtles can live for well over 100 years. Typically, those that reach maturity live for at least 30 years. These deep-sea-divers mainly eat bottom dwelling invertebrate organisms such as clams, mussels, and crabs. They also feed on jellyfish, flying fish, and squid while in migration.

Loggerheads typically eat small to medium sized invertebrates. They are the best divers in the entire ocean, and their beak-like noses are strong enough to easily break the shells of their prey. Their hard shells protect them from predators. This species is uniquely immune to the sting of jellyfish. In fact, Loggerheads have been known to feed on jellyfish. The biggest predators to the turtles are humans who hunt the turtles, and other animals in their environment.

The biggest threats to the Loggerhead Sea Turtle are the invasion of humans to their habitat, hunting, pollution, and habitat destruction. Because they tend to live close to the shore and around other sea creatures that are regularly hunted by human beings, these animals are particularly vulnerable to the affects of hunting and boating. Loggerheads often get caught in fishing nets and traps meant to catch the shrimp and crab that share their environment. Further, the propellers of speedboats often injure and kill the turtles, while hooks and other man-made hunting instruments.

While Loggerhead Turtles are vulnerable at sea, they are also in danger when land bound. These reptiles lay their eggs in small nests on the beach. Their nesting grounds, although often hidden, are not particularly well protected. Eggs are left unattended, and open to attack Once the eggs hatch, the hatch lings must make their way to the ocean before being picked off by predators. This natural process falls out of balance when human beings destroy safe nesting areas.