Loggerhead Turtle Reproduction
(most of the references are from the book Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume 1 and II, edited by Peter Lutz, CRC Press)

It is estimated that Loggerhead turtles will reach sexual maturation between 30-35 years old. Even though they live in the ocean, the females return to land close to where they were hatched to lay their eggs (interoperous reproduction). The males and females leave their separate feeding areas and migrate to a  place to mate, and afterwards the males will return to their feeding grounds, while the females migrate to their nesting beaches. There are three requirements for nesting to occur. The condition for adult turtle activity must be favorable, must be conducive to embryonic development and survival, and must favor hatchlings survival. If the conditions are met, a 80% hatching success can be achieved, unless stressors like environmental changes, predation and microbiological infections occur.

 

eggs in a nest

The female turtle lays her eggs  on a warm, sandy beach. At night she digs a hole in the sand  drops her eggs into it and covers them up. These nests, called clutches, contain between 19 to 112 eggs and the female turtle will create 3-4 clutches during a season, but only every 2 to 5 years. The baby turtles will hatch after 6 to 13 weeks of incubation. The temperature of the sand determines the gender in all turtles. Cooler temperature produce male turtles, while warmer temperatures are responsible for the females. The temperature of the sand is  crucial to the survival of  the eggs as well.
24 C to 26C are ideal, less than 23 C seldom hatch and greater than 33C never hatch, because the eggs get nearly cooked.

"here I am"

After 6 to 13 weeks the hatchlings emerge from the nest usually near evening, when the temperature is cooler and they are not as likely to be detected by predators as during the day. They scramble towards the ocean and their long and dangerous journey begins.

small, but ready to go

Sea Turtle Protection
Sea turtles are related to the land turtles but have special adaptations like flippers to help them move under water. However, they still have to come  on land to lay their eggs. There used to be at least 27 species of sea turtle of which 19 were extinct a very long time ago. Fossil analysis show that they date back to the Jurassic period. Since these turtles were highly specialized, they did not adapt well to environmental changes, which is believed to be one of the causes for their extinction. Seven of the eight remaining species are currently listed as threatened, endangered and critically endangered like the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and the Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) due to direct and indirect human impact, while one species is actually extinct.
The logger head turtles (Caretta caretta) were listed as vulnerable in 1992 and are currently listed as threatened. These turtles are directly impacted by human stressors like disturbing nesting sites by poachers and onlookers, ocean debris, and pollution,  but the biggest culprit is massive accidental catches during their long migrations.

(photo from greenpiece.com)
turtle entangled in debries

(photo from destination-scuba.com)
accidental by-catch of turtles

Better management of the animals and their habitat is needed to protect them from extinction. One way to help them is by limiting direct access to nesting grounds, creating national parks, as well as protecting their foraging and mating areas, since turtles return to the same sites year after year. Some protection measures  to save these animals are being implemented, but a lot more effort is needed to guarantee their survival.