Loggerheads sea turtles,  (Caretta caretta) are the most widespread and commonly found sea turtle that nests in the southeastern United States. Partially due to the large number of annual nesting sites found in South Carolina, in 1988 the state legislature designated the loggerhead to be the state's state reptile. While they can be found as far north as Canada and as far south as Argentina, they typically live in more temperate waters. Since 2004, nesting sites have been well documented and have averaged 3,378 nests per year over in SC.
    When compared to other sea turtles, loggerheads have: a relatively thick jaw, red-brown coloration, and two claws on each flipper. Furthermore they have non-overlaping scutes and the first costal scute touches the nuchal scute. Adult loggerheads can weigh as much 300 pounds and reach up to four feet in shell length. 

    One of our local loggerheads, a female named Huntington, came to the SC Aquarium's Turtle Rescue Hospital due to being unable to dive below the surface due to air being trapped in her digestive system. This was caused by an intestinal impaction consisting of a large mass of scallop shells. Over time doctors were able to break up this mass and help Huntington regain the weight she had lost by not being able to eat during the process. While she has not yet been released, Huntington will hopefully continue to make progress and be reintroduced to the wild sometime this year.