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Loggerhead sea turtle
Caretta caretta
Size (cm) and body mass (kg):
n.b. All figures are FAO (Food & Agriculture Organisation), unless otherwise
stated. Figures for females were assumed to be obtained during nesting.
- Normal variation in Straight Carapace Length (SCL) for a mature
female:
- 81.5-105.3 cm; n=3502 ( n=number in sample)
- The SCL for mature females is always over 70 cm.
- World variation: figures, unless stated, are for mature females
- USA (South Carolina) 84.5-103 cm: mean 92.7 cm: n=18
- USA (Georgia) mean 95.9 cm: n=110
- USA (Florida) 74.9-109.2 cm: mean 92 cm: n=661
- USA (Broward county) mean 99.6 cm: n=1203
- Mexico (Quintana) 73-109cm: mean 90.5 cm: n=423 (females)
- Mexico (Quintana) 75.3-99.5 cm: mean 86.5 cm: n=39 (males)
- Colombia (Buritaca) 70-102 cm: mean 87.9cm: n=77
- Greece (Zakynthos) 70-93 cm:mean 81.5 cm: n=95
- Greece (Kiparissa) mean 78.6 cm: 69-91 cm: n=68 (Margaritoulis,
1987)
- Greece (SE Cephalonia) mean 76.6 cm: n=25 (Whitmore, C., pers. comm
via Groombridge)
- Turkey (Dalyan) 55-74.6 cm (Geldiay et al., 1982) - males and females
caught at sea
- Spain (Balearics) 30-65 cm: n.b. caught on longlines at sea (Mayol
& Castello Mas, 1983)
- South Africa (Tongaland) 72.8-98.5 cm: mean 86.4 cm: n=1182
- South Africa (Natal) 75.2-90.5 cm: mean 81.6 cm: n=13
- Oman (Masirah islands) mean 91.2 cm : n=1378
- Australia (Heron islands) 86-102 cm: n=?
- Japan (Shikoku) 72-107.5 cm: mean 89 cm: n=118
- Overall body mass in Kg:
- 65.7-101.4 kg: mean 75 kg: n=153
World variation:
- Mexico (Quintana Roo) mean 65.7 kg: n=115 (females)
- Mexico (Quintana Roo) mean 101.4 kg: n=38 (males)
- Mediterranean (all) mean 105 kg: n=? (females)
- Greece (SE Cephalonia) mean 68 kg: 52-84 kg: n=12 (Whitmore, C.,
pers. comm via Groombridge)
- South Africa (Tongaland) mean 106.9 kg: n=31 (females)
- South Africa (Tongaland) mean 68 kg: n=13 (males)
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