Big-headed and heavy-jawed, reddish-brown above and yellowish below, adults run 2.5 to 3.5 feet and 200 to 350 pounds and take about 35 years to mature . Loggerheads crush hard-shelled prey; in south Texas waters the National Park Service reports they feed heavily on sea pens, a colonial soft-bodied invertebrate, and they are often seen around offshore platforms . The Northwest Atlantic population is federally threatened . Texas nesting is sparse and concentrated at the National Seashore, which logged between zero and eleven loggerhead nests a year from 2004 through 2024 . Two loggerhead nests on Boca Chica Beach in 2026 appear in preliminary tallies .
Observe responsibly
Wildlife, tides and access conditions change. Keep a respectful distance, do not feed wildlife, stay out of dunes and marked nesting areas, and use current official rules before fishing or handling any catch.