Our friend the Loggerhead Turtle – Sodwana Bay

The loggerhead turtle is much smaller than the leatherback turtle. It weighs between 80 and 140 kg. The large head and carapace are uniformly red-brown in juveniles and adults and their extremely strong jaws are able to crush giant clams. In southern Africa they mainly breed along the sandy shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, with very small and isolated breeding patches along the coast of Mozambique. They come ashore every two to three years to lay about 500 eggs in batches of 100 to 120 every 15 days. This usually takes place at high tide during moonless nights. Both loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest in summer, generally at night. The female emerges from the surf and rests in the wash zone, looking out for danger. Then she moves above the high water mark to find a suitable site to lay her eggs. Around a thousand eggs are laid altogether during a breeding season, at nine to eleven day intervals. A high percentage (70-75%) hatch successfully.
After 60 to 70 days, the hatchlings emerge at night (usually) and make their way back to the sea. Up to 12% may be taken during this short journey by ghost crabs. For the first couple of months the tiny turtles are prey to many marine predators. It is estimated that out of every 1000 eggs only one or two hatchlings survive. Females breed every two to three years.

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