Mumbai: Big-headed sea turtle rescued from Madh

The reptile being cared for at the Airoli treatment centre

An injured loggerhead turtle has been rescued from a beach at Madh Island, in the first sighting of the species in Mumbai. The reptiles are named for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles, allowing them to crush hard-shelled prey like sea urchins and clams. Including the discovery in the city, four loggerhead turtles have been spotted along the Maharashtra coast this month so far.

"Recently, a fisherman found an injured turtle that had washed ashore on Silver beach at Madh-Malad. The loggerhead sea turtle was rescued and brought to the Mangrove Cell's treatment facility at Airoli," said a forest department official.

Known by the scientific name Caretta caretta, the turtles are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Wildlife lover Anand Mohite said local resident Pramod Dhadge informed him about the injured turtle on Wednesday. "The loggerhead sea turtle is a female and its back was wounded by a boat propeller. It is being treated," said Mohite.

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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) terms the loggerheads "near-threatened". Last week, two loggerheads were found at Diveagar, while one washed ashore on Karanja beach.

Marine biologist and conservationist Prachi Hatkar said, "We should make use of this opportunity of strandings to analyse the origin of their population, health status like biomedical analysis before releasing them back into the ocean. These are rare occasions, we can get information about their migration if we can deploy tags after rehabilitating them."

Web portal seaturtlesofindia.org says, "Loggerheads are not known to nest in India, but nests have been recorded in Sri Lanka and the Gulf of Mannar."

Turtle trivia

. Loggerheads measure between 75 and 100 cm, weigh about 159 kg
. Known for their exceptionally large heads
. The carapace, which is reddish-brown with a yellowish-brown plastron, is heart-shaped
. They reach sexual maturity at 30-35 years of age
. Average interval between nesting seasons is 2 to 3 years
Source: https://www.seaturtlesofindia.org