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.
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_sea_turtle>
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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>
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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>
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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>
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