Lggerhead Sea Turtles and their migration and why they are protected - Research Paper Example

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) has also listed sea turtles species as being one of the most endangered species on the planet. Unfortunately, scientists claim that Loggerhead sea turtles could face extinction in less than five decades. The loggerhead sea turtles are under the threat of extinction in the near future due to the human activities on their habitat that has seen their number decrease exceptionally fast, according to a report. Loggerheads sea turtles are also regarded as the species that migrate frequently over their lifetime particularly during the breeding period (Bowen et al., 1995). This paper will explore the loggerhead sea turtles in light of their features, distribution, and migration behavior, why they need protection and the protection measures already initiated to conserve the species.

The loggerheads are arguably the largest hard-shelled turtle on planet, observed Kobayashi et al. (2008). The species were named so because of extra large head comprising of horny beak, which is thicker than other sea turtle species are. Loggerhead sea turtles have exceptionally turf jaws, which enables them feed comfortably hard-shelled prey such as the conch and whelks. The adult loggerheads have carapace that is heart-shaped, and reddish-brown in color. Adult males differ from the female in the sense that they have long tails that protrude beyond the rare carapace (Kobayashi et al., 2008). Additionally, adult male loggerheads have narrow carapace tapering towards the rear.

These species have been listed as being among the over 15,000 animal species facing the threat of extinction. Loggerheads were listed as endangered species in 1978, and since then efforts are being made to ensure that they are accorded the necessary protection to abate the extinction threat. Research shows that loggerhead sea turtles are among the species that make the longest journeys than any other sea turtle species (Witherington, Herren, and Bresette, 2006).  They migrate long distances easily due to their adaptation for such movement.

Report indicates that loggerheads usually migrate more than 7,500 miles between their nesting beaches in Japan and Mexico here they feed, notes Witherington, Herren, and Bresette (2006). Since loggerheads are slow in movement, they have turf shell that protects them from predators in the event of an attack. Distribution Loggerheads are regarded as a circumglobal animal present throughout tropical and temperate regions of Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Researchers have shown that loggerheads are the most abundant sea turtles in the United States’ coastal waters.

The loggerhead sea turtles in the Atlantic Ocean range extend from Newfoundland to Argentina. The species nests mainly during summer seasons in the subtropics. In the U.S., the species nesting concentration is found in North Carolina through to the southwest Florida. Research indicates that very few nesting occurs outside this range particularly in Texas and Virginia. Adult loggerheads normally migrate frequently between foraging areas and nesting beaches. However, during non-nesting periods, adult female loggerheads from the U.S. beaches distribute themselves in waters off eastern U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Yucatan (Kobayashi et al., 2008). Most loggerhead nesting takes place in the western part of Indian and Atlantic Oceans. A study