Is That a Loggerhead Or a Green Sea Turtle?

Sea turtles are some of the coolest creatures in the ocean! There are seven unique species of sea turtle found around the world, each with its own distinct characteristics. Today, we are going to be taking a closer look at two of them, the loggerhead and the green sea turtle.

As any wildlife nerd knows, no animals are exactly alike when you take a closer look at them. The loggerhead and the green sea turtle are no exception! Despite the differences in name, these two turtles look quite similar. Green sea turtles aren’t actually green. Instead, they get their name from the layer of green fat they develop under their shells. One of the best ways to tell the difference between a loggerhead and a green turtle is by the head proportions. Loggerheads have much larger heads in proportion to their bodies.

Aside from appearances, these two turtles are different in size. Loggerheads are the largest hard-shelled turtles in the world, with only the leatherback turtle being larger overall. The largest loggerhead ever seen weighed 1,202 lbs. Green sea turtles are also large, just not as large as loggerheads. Most green sea turtles weigh 200-300 lbs, with the largest individual ever seen weighing 871 lbs.

Loggerhead vs Green Sea Turtle: Appearance

The similarities in appearance between the loggerhead, green, and hawksbill sea turtles can make identification difficult, especially when their distributions overlap. Still, there are some distinctions that can be helpful. Loggerheads have larger heads in proportion to their bodies. Additionally, loggerheads have heart-shaped shells with five or six large scutes (shell segments) on either side of their smaller dorsal (spinal) scutes. Green sea turtles have coloration similar to loggerheads. Despite their name, green sea turtles are not actually green; their name comes from the greenish fat found beneath their shells. Green sea turtles have round shells with four lateral scutes on each side.

Loggerhead vs Green Sea Turtle: Size

One of the major differences between loggerheads and green turtles is their size. Loggerheads are the second-largest turtles in the world and the largest hard-shelled turtles on earth. The leatherback turtle is larger, but its softer shell allows it to grow bigger by comparison. On average, loggerheads reach 180-440 lbs. The average loggerhead usually weighs 289 lbs. The largest loggerhead ever recorded weighed an incredible 1,202 lbs. The green sea turtle is smaller than the loggerhead, but they are still a large creature. On average, the green turtle weighs 150-419 lbs, putting them in third place among other sea turtle species. The largest green sea turtle ever seen weighed 871 lbs.

Loggerhead vs Green Sea Turtle: Distribution

Loggerhead turtles have the broadest distribution of any sea turtle species. They can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. Essentially, loggerheads inhabit oceans worldwide between the latitudes of South Africa and Scotland. Green sea turtles prefer tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. Within their distribution are two distinct groups, the Atlantic and eastern Pacific subpopulations. There are genetic differences between the groups, although they are still classified together. The largest populations in the United States can be found around coastal Florida and Hawaii, and the largest populations in the world are found in the Great Barrier Reef and the Caribbean Sea.

Loggerhead vs Green Sea Turtle: Habitat

The loggerhead turtle prefers the open ocean and shallow waters near the shore. They often alternate between the two, depending on their feeding patterns. When loggerheads are young, they often live in large mats of Sargassum algae, which help protect them from predators. Green sea turtles occupy different habitats depending on their stage of life, but most adults are found near the coast, primarily in underwater seagrass meadows. As a result, they frequent lagoons, bays, and shoals where seagrass is present.

Loggerhead vs Green Sea Turtle: Diet

The loggerhead is omnivorous. Most of their diet comes from bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Their primary sources of food include sponges, corals, anemones, starfish, fish, jellyfish, squid, gastropods, and bivalves. They have the largest known prey list of any other sea turtle species. Green sea turtles have a unique diet that changes as they age. When they are young, baby turtles are almost entirely carnivorous and eat fish eggs, jellyfish, sponges, and crustaceans. As they age, however, they shift to eating algae and seagrass. Their diet of seagrass likely leads to the accumulation of green fat, which gives them their name.