# Loggerhead sea turtle (*Caretta caretta*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/loggerhead-sea-turtle  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, belonging to the family Cheloniidae in the order Testudines. It falls in the large size class, with a representative adult body mass of 100.8 kg and reported values from 92.4 to 109.2 kg. Clutches hold 115 eggs, with 1.285 clutches per year and an egg incubation period of 57 days; sexual maturity is reached at 10 years, with values up to 26.4 years reported. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 92.4 kg – 109.2 kg |
| Length | up to 2.13 m |
| Lifespan | 37 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 76 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 57 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 115 |
| Age at maturity | 9.99 years – 26.4 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.29 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Testudines
- family: Cheloniidae
- genus: Caretta
- species: *Caretta caretta* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Caouana elongata*, *Caretta atra*, *Caretta caretta caretta*, *Caretta caretta tarapacana*, *Caretta cephalo*, *Caretta gigas*, *Caretta nasicornis*, *Caretta nasuta*, *Cephalochelys oceanica*, *Chelone caretta*, *Chelonia atra*, *Chelonia cahuano*, *Chelonia caouana*, *Chelonia caouana*, *Chelonia caretta*, *Chelonia caretta*, *Chelonia cavanna*, *Chelonia cephalo*, *Chelonia corticata*, *Chelonia dubia*, *Chelonia multiscutata*, *Chelonia pelasgorum*, *Chelonia polyaspis*, *Eremonia elongata*, *Halichelys atra*, *Testudo caouana*, *Testudo caouana*, *Testudo caretta*, *Testudo cephalo*, *Testudo corianna*, *Testudo lauanna*, *Testudo marina*, *Testudo nasicornis*, *Thalassiochelis caouana*, *Thalassiochelys tarapacana*, *Thalassiochelys tarapacona*, *Thalassochelys atra*, *Thalassochelys caouana*, *Thalassochelys caretta*, *Thalassochelys caretta*, *Thalassochelys controversa*, *Thalassochelys corticata*, *Thalassochelys elongata*, *Thallasochelys cephalo*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the loggerhead sea turtle?

The loggerhead sea turtle is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup. It belongs to the family Cheloniidae, superfamily Chelonioidea, order Testudines.

### How heavy is a loggerhead sea turtle?

Adults have a representative body mass of 100.8 kg, with reported values from 92.4 to 109.2 kg. This places it in the large size class.

### Is the loggerhead sea turtle endangered?

The loggerhead sea turtle is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List global assessment, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a loggerhead sea turtle live?

Its lifespan is given as 37 years, with values up to 76 years reported by sources.

### How many eggs does a loggerhead sea turtle lay?

A clutch holds 115 eggs, with 1.285 clutches per year. The eggs incubate for 57 days.

### When does a loggerhead sea turtle reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 10 years, with values up to 26.4 years reported.

### Who named the loggerhead sea turtle?

The scientific name Caretta caretta carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What other names does the loggerhead sea turtle have?

Other English names are Loggerhead, Loggerhead turtle, Loggerhead Seaturtle, Loggerhead (sea) turtle and Common loggerhead turtle.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/loggerhead-sea-turtle