It is one of the most abundant marine species of the Portuguese waters.
The loggerhead sea turtle or common is native to the national territorial waters. In Madera are often sighted juveniles specimens, although they are pelagic, exclusively inhabiting the high seas. Adults have a habit of visiting the coast; however, they make long migrations at the whim of ocean currents. Mating takes place in the sea near the nesting beaches. In the Atlantic, "the breeding beaches re only on the northern shores of South America, the Caribbean and the U.S. Approximately 90% of Madera turtles were born on the beaches of Florida. There are no records of nesting in the Atlantic coasts of Europe, occurring, however, some spawning in the Mediterranean, particularly in Turkey, but also Greece and Italy. The eggs are almost always placed at night in nests dug in sandy soil by the female under the high tide. The number ranges from 58 to 174 eggs, the same animal can lay up to seven successive positions in active reproductive years, and each is separated by a mean interval of 13 days. They usually nest every 2 to 3 years. The incubation time is 49 to 64 days. The temperature determines the sex of newborns. The output of the young from the nest happens at night, going to towards the sea "highlights the section of the study of marine biology and oceanography at the University of Madeira.
"The smaller turtles captured off the coast of the island are therefore about 1 year old or less. The age of maturity is estimated between 15 to 30 years with an average of 920mm shell length right. In youth, especially in smaller plates of the carapace, especially vertebral shields are very marked keels on the elongated caudal, leaving the shell with a sawn appearance when viewed laterally. Sexual dimorphism is very pronounced; it is usually possible to distinguish the sexes, especially in the younger species. In adult males have comparatively long tails and slightly concave plastron.
Their food is quite varied, and the adults eat mainly benthic mollusks and crustaceans. Pelagic juveniles and sub-adults feed mainly on jellyfish, tunicates and cephalopods (squid and octopus). " The nutrition of this species has undergone a strong conservation campaigns over the years because many of the caretta caretta (scientific name) die of starvation in the wild, because they mistake plastic bags and balloons thrown to the sea with the coelenterates they depend on to survive. Therefore, avoid polluting the seas, so don´t leave plastics on the shore and let you be captivated by these beautiful marine specimens.
http://www3.uma.pt/Investigacao/Tartaruga/html/body_p20-crta.htm
