Meet Caretta, the resident sea turtle (and reptilian agent of chaos) of the deepest ocean tank in North America

During a recent trip, I had time to visit one of the many aquariums found across the United States. I love aquariums — I find sitting in front of large tanks and watching their residents swim by incredibly soothing. So imagine my surprise and amusement when, at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, I watched a very large sea turtle try to play with the scuba divers doing tank maintenance. I had just had my first visual encounter with Caretta, their resident loggerhead sea turtle and (clearly) a primo mischief maker. Now it’s time for me to introduce her to all of you.

Caretta’s early life was a bit of an adventure. She was born in 1987, not in her original nest on the Florida coast, but in captivity after being taken from the beach. The couple who took her wanted to keep her as a pet, which is wildly illegal, as loggerhead sea turtles were classified as endangered at the time. They also grow very, very large (Caretta weighed over 220 pounds as of 2015); Caretta outgrew her enclosure as a juvenile, leading the couple to release her into the care of the Aquarium du Québec in Canada.

Fun fact: When it’s time to sleep, sea turtles wedge themselves between rocks, coral, and other stable structures in the ocean so they don’t drift in the water currents (although Caretta used rocks and the acrylic of her tank in the picture above)!

Caretta came to the South Carolina Aquarium in 2001 from Québec. After a life among people, Caretta has not only imprinted on humans but is also reliant on them for her care because she lacks some of the innate habits that would make her successful in the wild. For example, Caretta used to attempt to steal food from her shark tankmates during their feeding time! Aquarium staff have trained her to swim into a large box (her own personal dining room) for feeding time and for any extra activities that require her to leave the tank, such as medical exams. Even though she gets regular enrichment and has 385,000 gallons of tank space to swim through, she still loves to interact with people (as I saw during my visit).

Fun fact: Caretta is named after her species — the loggerhead sea turtle’s scientific name is Caretta caretta!

Sea turtles like Caretta may live long lives (80-100 years), but they face many dangers in the ocean, and, to the shock of no one, people are their biggest hazard. They are susceptible to fishing bycatch (where they are captured instead of the intended catch), while their available nesting habitats are continually shrinking due to coastal development. Loggerheads specifically are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List, and the species is protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Fun fact: Sea turtles are estimated to have lived on the planet for 150 million years, predating dinosaurs.

Loggerhead sea turtles are the state reptile of South Carolina, which makes Caretta’s residency all the more special. Additionally, the aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center puts them in a uniquely position to care for her, as well as the unknown number of other rescue-rehabilitate-release cases they take on every year (you can follow along on their blog). You can also follow the South Carolina Aquarium on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tiktok, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube. And if you get to Charleston, swing by the aquarium to give Caretta a visit — seeing her is worth every penny.

Header image by the author. All other images by the South Carolina Aquarium.