18.02.2025
Loggerhead Turtle
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For Prelims: About Loggerhead Turtle
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Why in the news?
A recent study revealed that the loggerhead turtle can learn and remember the magnetic signature of an area and does a ‘turtle dance’ when in a location that they associate with food.
About Loggerhead Turtle:
- It is a species of oceanic turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae.
- It is named Loggerhead for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles.
- It is the world's largest hard-shelled turtle, slightly larger at average and maximum mature weights than the Green sea turtle and the Galapagos tortoise.
- It is also the world's second largest extant turtle after the leatherback sea turtle.
- It uses the geomagnetic field as a map when navigating large distances.
- Distribution: It has a cosmopolitan distribution, nesting over the broadest geographical range of any sea turtle. It inhabits the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.
- Diet: It is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as gastropods, bivalves, and decapods. It has a greater list of known prey than any other sea turtle.
- Conservation status:
- Threats: Bycatch in fishing gear, Climate change, Direct harvest of turtles and eggs, Loss and degradation of nesting habitat, Ocean pollution/marine debris.
Source: The Hindu
Consider the following statements regarding the Loggerhead Turtle:
Statement-I: It uses the geomagnetic field as a map when navigating large distances.
Statement-II: It is only found in the Pacific Oceans and Mediterranean Sea.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.
B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.
C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.
D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.
Answer C