Loggerhead Turtle
Another graceful resident of the Ocean Display, Jersey is a Loggerhead Turtle with a history. She was washed up on a beach when she was young, having drifted off course. Despite being enormous she is the fastest turtle in the world and probably one of the fastest creatures in our ocean tank. If so inclined she could hit about 40 MPH. That’s fast!
She’s also the most potentially dangerous of our creatures in the ocean display. She could easily bite through a human arm or leg but, thankfully, she’s a lovely placid turtle who loves to chomp through nothing more than whiting, mackerel, squid and soft crabs. In the wild she’d go for Jellyfish, fish, squid, and crustaceans – hardly the diet of a killer!
Jersey is about 40 years old although this is unconfirmed. She spends a lot of time sleeping and has an amazing knack of camouflaging herself against the side of the tank (considering her size).
In 2002, SEA LIFE put pressure on The Greek Government to ensure they protected great stretches of beach, and preserved Loggerhead nesting grounds so that new generations of Loggerheads like Jersey could continue to roam the oceans.