Everglades National Park Reptiles of Mangrove Marshes and Pinelands

A large marine turtle with a massive head and strong jaws used to crush hard-shelled prey; it forages in nearshore waters and uses sandy beaches for nesting in parts of southern Florida. In the Everglades area, loggerheads are most frequently encountered offshore and sometimes in estuaries.

Note the very large head and powerful jaws, relatively broad carapace with non-overlapping scutes, and heavy body; seen as a rounder shell profile at the surface compared with other sea turtles.

Common Confusions

• Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas Green turtles have a smoother, more heart-shaped shell and a smaller head for grazing; loggerheads have a larger head and robust jaws.
• Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata Hawksbills have a tapered, beak-like mouth and overlapping scutes on the shell; loggerheads have broad, heavy heads and non-overlapping scutes.
• Diamondback Terrapin Malaclemys terrapin Terrapins are much smaller, have clawed feet, and occupy shallow estuaries rather than open ocean.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle Dermochelys coriacea Leatherbacks lack a hard shell, are much larger and have ridged leathery carapaces, unlike loggerheads.
• Large Floating Debris Debris doesn't surface to breathe or show flippers and will not move with directed swimming; turtles surface regularly to breathe.