Loggerhead Turtle Skull Replica

Description

Loggerhead Turtle Skull Replica measures 10.9 inches. Loggerhead Turtle Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

Caretta caretta or the Loggerhead sea turtle is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae.

The adult Loggerhead sea turtle or Caretta caretta weighs approximately 298 lb., with the largest specimens weighing in at more than 1,000 lbs. The skin ranges from yellow to brown in color, and the shell is typically reddish brown.

The Loggerhead sea turtle or Caretta caretta is named for their huge heads and powerful jaws, loggerhead turtles are the largest hard-shelled sea turtles alive today. They have a heart-shaped carapace, which is often covered with commensal organisms such as barnacles and algae.

Generally, the carapace is a reddish-brown hue with olive tones; there are five pairs of pleural scutes, the first pair touching the cervical (neck) scute. The plastron is cream to yellow, and has two longitudinal ridges that disappear with age.

The skin is dull to reddish brown dorsally and medium to pale yellow around the edges and ventrally. The skin may have some orange coloration as well.

The Loggerhead turtle or Caretta caretta skin of males is more brown and the head more yellow than those of females. Males also have wider carapaces and a long curved claw on each forelimb.

Loggerhead sea turtle or Caretta caretta hatchlings tend to be dark brown to reddish brown on the carapace and cream to reddish brown or dark brown on the plastron. The average adult Caretta caretta in the Mediterranean Sea is smaller than the average adult in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Loggerhead sea turtle or Caretta caretta shell is divided into two sections: carapace and plastron. The carapace is further divided into large plates, or scutes. Typically, 11 or 12 pairs of marginal scutes rim the carapace.

Five vertebral scutes run down the carapace’s midline, while five pairs of costal scutes border them. The nuchal scute is located at the base of the head.

Loggerhead Turtle Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Chelonioidea
Family: Cheloniidae
Subfamily: Carettinae
Genus: Caretta
Species: C. caretta
Binomial name: Caretta caretta
Conservation status: Vulnerable

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