100px|A loggerhead turtle at Océanopolis, Brest, France

The loggerhead sea turtle is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. An adult weighs around 135 kilograms (300 lb), with the largest specimens weighing in at more than 454 kilograms (1,000 lb). The skin ranges from yellow to brown in color, and the shell is typically reddish-brown. Found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea, the loggerhead sea turtle spends most of its life in saltwater and estuarine habitats, with females briefly coming ashore to lay eggs. The loggerhead sea turtle has a low reproductive rate and a lifespan of 47–67 years. Omnivorous, the species feeds mainly on bottom dwelling invertebrates. Its large and powerful jaws serve as an effective tool in dismantling its prey. Loggerheads are considered an endangered species and are protected by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) have been implemented in efforts to reduce mortality by providing the turtle an escape route. Loss of suitable nesting beaches and the introduction of exotic predators has also taken a toll on loggerhead populations. Efforts to restore their numbers will require international cooperation since the turtles roam vast areas of ocean and critical nesting beaches are scattered among several countries. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1698:

Most of London's Palace of Whitehall, the main residence of the English monarchs dating from 1530, was destroyed by fire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Whitehall

1847:

American gun inventor Samuel Colt made his first large sale of his revolver pistols to the Texas Rangers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Colt

1884:

The Fabian Society, an intellectual movement whose purpose is to advance the socialist cause by gradualist and reformist methods rather than revolutionary means, was founded in London. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabian_Society

2007:

Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. Government. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi

2010:

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the world's tallest structure, officially opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

brown study (n): (dated) A melancholy mood accompanied by deep thought; a moody daydream http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brown_study

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The folly of Interpreters has been, to foretell times and things by this Prophecy, as if God designed to make them Prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the Prophecy also into contempt.

The design of God was much otherwise. He gave this and the Prophecies of the Old Testament, not to gratify mens curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and his own Providence, not the Interpreters, be then manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things predicted many ages before will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by Providence. --Isaac Newton http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton