This month's article series will discuss the island of Yakushima, Japan. Yakushima, Japan is located in the Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is in Southern Japan, & is located in the Ōsumi Islands archipelago.
The island is known for its beautiful cedar wood forests, macaque monkeys, deer, Yaku Sagi trees, & their loggerhead turtle sights. Approximately 40% of all Loggerhead turtles coming into Japan are coming to Nagata Beach, on northern Yakushima Island. A big reason for the island being able to host such wonderful creatures is because the Yakushima National Park takes up 42% of the island. Part of this national park also includes a marine reserve, which hosts some of the loggerhead turtles.
The name Yakushima translated into English means “Medicine Island”, due to the medicinal properties of the herbs there. Yakushima Island is approximately 285.58 nautical miles (328.639595 miles or 528.89416 kilometers) from mainland South Korea.
Yakushima island is approximately 194.9 square miles (504.78868 square kilometers), of which 83.807 square miles (217.059134 square kilometers) is a National Park. One of the major attractions of Yakushima Island is the Loggerhead Turtle.
The Loggerhead Turtle is a species of marine turtle known for their strong jaws, used for breaking conch shells. This species is the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle, as of 2025. They can be distinguished from other turtles by their massive heads, & proportionally smaller bodies. These turtles usually come to Yakushima island, to nest on Nagata Beach. This nesting usually occurs between May & August of each year. It is recommended that humans do not attempt to observe these baby turtles up close, as this will add stress to their journey.
In this article, we will discuss the Discovery & Life, the Mating Procedures, Practices, Cycles, Tactics, & Strategies, Distribution, & Scientific Detailings of the Loggerhead Turtle. With that being said, let us delve into the Caretta Caretta.
The Discovery & Life Of Loggerhead Turtle
The Loggerhead Turtle was discovered in 1758, by Swedish Taxonomist, Botanist, & Zoologist Carl Linnaeus. They are on average 3 feet (0.9144 meters) long, & 250 pounds (113.398 kilograms).
Their life span is similar to humans with theirs lasting between 70 & 80 years. The oldest loggerhead turtle is approximately 91 years old, & named Big Bertha.
Loggerhead turtles are intelligent for sea creatures, but ranking their intelligence in terms of IQ is not possible. They have powerful senses of communication, & excellent directional senses. They are also able to show affection, & feelings of attachment. When held in captivity, they can recognize their caretakers, by both sight & sound. Sea turtles as we know them have existed for approximately 110 million years, but it is unclear how long this specific species has existed. They usually do not interact with humans in the wild, & are rather timid creatures. Generally, they tend to live a solitary lifestyle until they breed.
Aggressive behaviors are not common for males or females, & are usually only showcased during mating season. For this reason, they are occasionally caught illegally for their shells, meat, & a variety of other reasons. Usually, when they are caught though, it is accidental. Loggerhead turtles are territorial creatures, & will fight with other turtles for a specific patch of land. Loggerhead turtles swim by using their front flippers as paddles, & their back flippers to steer themselves. They can swim an astonishing 22 miles per hour (35.4056 kilometers per hour) if they are frightened. They are extremely agile creatures, & can maneuver themselves very easily.
These turtles can sleep by slowing down their heart rate so that they don’t need to surface for air as frequently. They usually sleep for 4 to 7 hours at a time, & also sleep in deeper oceanic areas.
The Loggerhead turtle primarily consumes bivalves, horseshoe crabs, jellyfish, small fish, & various marine flora. They are not cannibalistic in any form. They usually consume about 73% of their body weight to survive, even though they have a slow metabolism. Generally, they are diurnal hunters, meaning they hunt.
They recognize food largely by smell, as they are born with the ability to recognize the smell of shrimp. Adult loggerhead turtles are preyed on by sharks, & humans. Loggerhead turtles have large heads, with brown patterned bodies. Their top shell has an almost heart-shaped pattern, & is a red-brown color. Their bottom shell is usually beige or white. For their beautiful shell pattern & their interesting behaviors, there are many different captive populations of this species around the globe.
This species is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Their population trend has been listed as decreasing, & their last population assessment was on August 23rd, 2015. It was first listed as a threatened species in the year 1978. As of 2025, there are approximately 50,000 Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
The Mating Practices, Procedures, Cycles, Strategies, & Tactics Of The Loggerhead Turtles
The Loggerhead turtle breeds via sexual reproduction. This species has two distinct sexes, & is not hermaphroditic. Their breeding system is polygamous, meaning that both sexes take multiple partners.
The majority of Loggerhead turtles sexually mature at 35 years of age, but they can take up to 39 years to mature. They tend to become most fertile after the age of 40, & this tends to go down after 50. Their average incubation period is approximately 60 days. Breeding does occur year-round, but it primarily takes place from Late March to Early June. This season aligns with the hatching/nesting season which is from April to September. Each clutch is between 40 eggs, & 200 eggs.
Every breeding season, the female will lay 2 to 5 clutches, in 2-week intervals. The female will return to the shoreline where she was born to lay her eggs. Once the children are had, only approximately 1 in 5,000 of them will survive to adulthood. These babies are helpless against predators & currents, & their jaws aren’t fully formed yet so hunting is also difficult. The mothers do not do much after giving birth to the clutch, & just simply swim off into the ocean after laying them.
These hatchlings will fight their way to the water, & unfortunately will not always make it. The temperature of the sand that they are hatched in determines what the sex of the turtle will be. Higher temperatures will produce more females, while lower temperatures will produce more males. Usually, these hatchlings are between 2 to 3 centimeters long.
The Distribution Of The Loggerhead Turtle
Loggerhead turtles are found all around the globe. They are currently known to be found in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, & Mediterranean Sea. They are migratory animals, & tend to migrate from the Pacific Coast to Australia & Japan. This usually is an 8,000-mile (12,874.75 kilometers) journey.
Loggerhead Turtles usually are found in reefed areas of the ocean or coastal areas. They are also known to be found in saltwater estuaries occasionally. As of 2025, they are found as far as Newfoundland, & as far south as Argentina.
The Scientific Detailings Of The Loggerhead Turtle
By far, the most intriguing part about the turtle is its shell. Both the upper & lower shells are primarily composed of Keratin, which is the same thing that composes your hair & nails.
Unlike land turtles, loggerhead turtles are unable to retract into their shells. The reason for this is that there simply is not enough room in the shell for the entire head of the loggerhead turtle.
Though Loggerhead turtles have massive beaks, they have no teeth. The bone structure of the turtle is extremely interesting. The flippers of the loggerhead turtle have 5 finger bones, even though they are not visible from outside. The shell of the Turtle contains the vertebrae, which is why it is important to never fracture a Loggerhead turtle's Shell.
The Loggerhead turtle is considered a keystone species, meaning that it is central to oceanic ecosystems. This also indicates that Many different creatures depend on the loggerhead turtle for their survival. These creatures are namely barnacles, algae, & occasionally small crabs. These species will live ontop oon top loggerhead turtle shell.
Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail.
Their class is Reptilia, meaning that they are cold-blooded, which is a universal characteristic of all Reptilians. There are approximately 10,000 reptilian species alive at the time of publishing.
Their order is Testudines, which is the order that all turtles are classified under. A universal characteristic of all species under this order is that they breathe air, & don’t lay eggs underwater. Approximately 300 extant species are categorized under this order.
Their family is Cheloniidae, which consists of 6 species. All species classified under this family have stronger front flippers than back flippers.
Their genus is Caretta. Their binomial name is Caretta Caretta.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Loggerhead Sea Turtle”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the National Wildlife Federation. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Ask An Expert: How Long Can Loggerhead Sea Turtles Live?”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published South Carolina Aquarium. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “What are possible causes of loggerhead turtle biting swimmers?, Written By Draško Holcer, Tina Belaj, & Bojan Lazar, & published on June 8th of 2023. Published By the Blue World Institute. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Loggerhead Turtle: Caretta Caretta”, Written by Unknown, & Last Updated on August 23rd, 2015. Published by the IUCN Red List. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “Loggerhead Sea Turtle: Caretta Caretta”, Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the South Carolina Marine Turtle Conservation Program. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 6: “Life Of A Loggerhead” Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By the Sea Turtle Patrol of Hilton Head Island. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 7: “Loggerhead Turtle: Caretta Caretta”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2024.
Citation No. 8: “Can Sea Turtles Retract Their Heads?”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown date. Published By the Olive Ridley Project. Retrieval Date: October 3rd, 2023.
Citation No. 9: “The Anatomy of Sea Turtles”, Written by Dr. Jeanette & Published at an Unclear date. Published By Published by the South Carolina Marine Turtle Conservation Program. Retrieval Date: October 5th, 2023.
Citation No. 10: “Loggerhead Sea Turtle”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the National Geographic Magazine. Retrieval Date: October 5th, 2023.
Citation No. 11: “Loggerhead Turtle”, Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Oceana. Retrieval Date: October 5th, 2023.
Citation No. 12: “Basic Biology of the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)” Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By the Widecast Turtle Conservation Network. Retrieval Date: October 5th, 2023.
Strategic Partnerships
Reel Guppy Outdoors
SharkedSkooler
Marine Enthusiasts Podcast
STEMScribe
Our Loyal Patrons
P. R. Ochoa
Comments