A loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) laying eggs. Loggerhead females take 17 years to reach sexual maturity. Studies suggest that during the mating season, sexually mature females will produce pheromones to alert potential suiters. Once the female has mated, she will lay 3-6 clutches of eggs over a period of 12-14 days, with each clutch containing an average of 100 eggs. She will then not produce any more eggs for the following 2-4 years. Nesting areas are carefully chosen by the females as the