Class Mascot- Loggerhead Sea Turtle

I think that our class mascot should be the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, or Caretta caretta. On our field trip to the South Carolina Aquarium we saw several loggerheads in the Sea Turtle Hospital. These turtles were recovering from bacterial infections, motor boat accidents, and exposure to cold temperatures. The loggerhead is a great species to represent our herpetology class for several reasons. The loggerhead is the state reptile of South Carolina and nests primarily in the southeast of the US. Out of the 40-200 eggs each female lays, it is said that only 1 out of every 1,000 hatchlings make it to adulthood. Right from birth these turtles are faced with a tough road. Loggerheads also play an important part in the marine ecosystem. They carry colonies of small animals and plants on their backs providing important habitats to other organisms! 

As a city with beaches where loggerheads nest, having this turtle as our mascot would help bring attention to the conservations efforts being made, and that should be continued to be made, in Charleston. Campaigns for turtle excluder devices in shrimp nets and lights out on the beaches are great steps towards saving this wonderful species. Not only are loggerheads an important subject for conservation, they are also extremely cute. Sea turtles are amazing creatures traveling great distances and living long lives and having them as our class mascot would be great for their species. As my favorite animal, I believe that they deserve to be the face of our class!