Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 108 , December 2013, pp. 1-25. | Page 11
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loggerheads. The turtles are seemingly territorial, and will fight with other loggerheads and sea turtles of different species (Wikipedia).
A fisherman is carrying the Loggerhead Sea Turtle on the coast of Gaza, State of Palestine. 28.08.2013. Photo by Ihab Fasfous (Dunya Al Watan, 2013).
Feeding
The loggerhead sea turtle is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottomdwelling invertebrates, such as gastropods, bivalves, and decapods. It has a greater list of known prey than any other sea turtle. Other food items include sponges, corals, sea pens, polychaete worms, sea anemones, cephalopods, barnacles, brachiopods, isopods, insects, bryozoans, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, starfish, fish (eggs, juveniles, and adults), hatchling turtles (including members of its own species), algae, and vascular plants. During migration through the open sea, loggerheads eat jellyfish, floating molluscs, floating egg clusters, squid, and flying fish (Wikipedia). Loggerheads crush prey with their large and powerful jaws. Projecting scale points on the anterior margin of the forelimbs allow manipulation of the food. These points can be used as "pseudo-claws" to tear large pieces of food in the loggerhead's mouth. The loggerhead will turn its neck sideways to consume the torn food on the scale points. Inward-pointing, mucus-covered papillae found in the fore region of the loggerhead's esophagus filter out foreign bodies, 7V6?2f?6?????2?F?R?W?B&Vv????bF?RW6??wW2?2??B???FVB?v?F??V?W&?W0?v?V??R?F?R?W7F????&????v?6?'V??WF??( 2?V?&W"?( 2FV6V?&W"#0???