Why in News? 

A recent study found that loggerhead turtles can recognize and remember the magnetic signals of a place. They even perform a "turtle dance" when they reach a location where they expect to find food. 

About  

• Scientific Classification: Belongs to the Cheloniidae family. 
• Name Origin: Named "Loggerhead" due to its large head, which supports powerful jaw muscles. 
• Size: 
  • Largest hard-shelled turtle in the world. 
  • Larger in average and maximum weight than the Green Sea Turtle and Galapagos Tortoise. 
  • Second-largest turtle overall, after the Leatherback Sea Turtle. 
• Navigation: Uses Earth’s geomagnetic field as a map for long-distance migration. 
• Distribution 
  • Found in a cosmopolitan range across major oceans. 
  • Inhabits the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, along with the Mediterranean Sea. 
• Diet 
  • Omnivorous, mainly feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates. 
  • Consumes gastropods, bivalves, and decapods. 
• Conservation Status: Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. 
• Threats 
  • Bycatch – Accidental capture in fishing gear. 
  • Climate Change – Affects nesting sites and hatchling survival. 
  • Poaching – Illegal harvesting of turtles and eggs. 
  • Habitat Loss – Destruction and degradation of nesting sites. 
  • Marine Pollution – Ocean pollution and debris posing ingestion and entanglement risks.