Molluscan and crustacean items in the diet of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) [Testudines: Chelonidae] in the eastern Mediterranean

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) has a circumglobal distribution in temperate and subtropical areas including the whole of the Mediterranean.1 However, little dietary information is available for those individuals foraging in this region. After hatching on the natal beach, marine turtles undergo a poorly understood pelagic life history phase, where they are thought to feed upon planktonic items for a number of years. 13 Following this, turtles migrate into a juvenile developmental habitat, usually demersal and neritic. It is thought that they remain in these areas until they reach adulthood, at which time they begin migrations to seasonal breeding grounds, which they may undertake every few