Caretta caretta
Loggerhead Turtle
‘Onu PL
f.CHELONIIDAE
Marine Turtles
Caretta caretta
Loggerhead Turtle
‘Onu PL
f.CHELONIIDAE
Marine Turtles
Cook Islands Status Summary
Show Notes
Intl. NamesLoggerhead Turtle EN
Local Names‘OnuPL
Pacific NamesNo Content
Sci. NamesCaretta caretta (accepted name)
, Caretta gigas, Testudo caretta
High Tax. Eng.k.Animals, p.Vertebrates, f.Marine Turtles - Turtle
High Tax. Latink.ANIMALIA, p.CHORDATA, sp.GNATHOSTOMATA, spc.TETRAPODA, c.REPTILIA, sc.TESTUDINATA, o.Chelonia, f.CHELONIIDAE
Natl. PresencePresentOceanicP?
Sth. PresenceRR-MG?AT?MK?MT?AK?PL+MN?TK?
Nth. PresenceTN?MH?RK?PK-NS?SW?
VouchersPL2000
Local OriginNative; Resident
Global RangeNative: circumtropical, including Australia - Cooks - ?;
HabitatLand and Aquatic; Lowlands; Marine; Nearshore; Oceanic
ThreatenedGlobally endangered - seriously; REDLIST
InvasivenessNo Content
BiosecurityNo Content
Medical StatusNo Content
Harmful StatusNo Content
UsesNo Content
IdentificationTo 120cm curved CL. HEAD large, jaws stronly hooked; prefrontals 2-pairs (± subdivided). CARAPACE 5 midline plates; side or costal plates 5-9 pairs, ±symmetrically arranged; marginals 25-27. LIMBS with 2-3 claws, reduced to 1-0 by attrition. TAIL short, less than shell in female, longer in male.
Similar SpeciesGreen Turtle (Chelonia mydas) has smaller head; prefrontal shields 1-pair (vs. 2-pairs); costals 2-pairs (vs. 5+ pairs).
Interest NoteFlesh considered inedible even after cooking (Palmerston, Hoyt, 12/2000).
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Vernacular Names
Citation Information
McCormack, Gerald (2026) Cook Islands Biodiversity & Ethnobiology Database, Version 2026.03.23 - Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at https://naturalheritage.gov.ck/cibed
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