Caretta caretta
- Shell to about 1 m, up to 150 kgSize
- Year round; nesting November to MarchBest time
- Vulnerable (IUCN); endangered in AustraliaStatus
What to look for
A noticeably large head and thick neck, a reddish-brown heart-shaped shell, and two pairs of scales between the eyes where a green turtle has one. Loggerheads often look a little scruffy, with barnacles and algae on the shell. They tend to be more wary than greens, so a slow approach matters even more.
Why the reef matters for them
The southern Great Barrier Reef holds the largest loggerhead nesting population in the South Pacific, and the whole reef is feeding ground for adults and juveniles. Numbers crashed in the late twentieth century and are still recovering, which is why the species is listed as endangered under Australian law. Every turtle you see has survived odds of roughly one in a thousand from hatchling to adult.
Where to see it
Dive with us to see it
You might also see
- Green turtleThe turtle you’ll meet most on the reef: grazing on the shallows, resting under ledges, surfacing to breathe beside the boat.
- Whitetip reef sharkThe slender shark asleep under the ledge. Harmless, curious at night, and a resident at several of our sites.
- SweetlipsStriped, spotted and thick-lipped, hanging in patient schools under the overhangs by day.
