Common name: Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

Scientific name: Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Family: Cheloniidae

Distribution and Habitat: Its presence in the region is common. Worldwide species with no recording of having laid eggs in the beaches of Porto Santo and Selvagem Pequena.

Description: This species carapace is heart-shaped; it has an elongated and wide head and a very strong corneous beak. The maximum length of the carapace is 1,25 m, but it usually measures 1,10 m. The average adult weight is 105 Kg. Each of the front and backs flippers has 2 claws. The upper part of the face is reddish brown and the bottom part is light yellow with dispersed red spots.

Conservation statute and Threats: This species is protected by Annexes I and II of the Bonn Convention, Annex II of the Berne Convention and, at a regional level, by Decree-Law No.18/85/M (Regional Government of Madeira).

Observations: It is the most common species in the Madeira waters; its capture is prohibited for any purpose. This species is the current topic of a conservation project being executed by the University of Madeira.