Alternative Text Description for Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Threatened)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays the geographic range boundaries for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Threatened) in Florida and adjacent waters. The map shows polygonal boundaries representing areas where this federally threatened species is understood to occur, as defined by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The primary focus is on coastal and marine habitats surrounding the Florida peninsula and extending into offshore waters.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the state of Florida and its surrounding coastal waters. Major cities labeled on the map include Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Cape Coral, Palm Bay, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Palm Coast, Coral Springs, Savannah, and Lakeland. The map extends north into portions of southern Georgia and Alabama, including cities like Albany, Valdosta, and Dothan. The western portion shows the northern Gulf of America coastline, while the eastern portion displays Florida's Atlantic coast. The southern extent includes the Florida Keys and the Straits of Florida.

KEY INSIGHTS

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle habitat boundaries follow Florida's entire coastline in a continuous pattern, indicating the species' presence along both the Gulf of America and Atlantic coasts. The mapped range extends along the entire perimeter of the Florida peninsula, from the western panhandle near Pensacola, around the southern tip including the Keys, and up the Atlantic coast to the Georgia border. Offshore areas in the Straits of Florida south of the Keys also show designated habitat, suggesting the species utilizes these marine waters beyond the immediate coastline. No inland habitat is shown, confirming the species' exclusively coastal and marine distribution.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Threatened) Range

This layer represents the geographic boundaries where the Loggerhead Sea Turtle occurs in Florida waters.

Coastal and Nearshore Habitat (pink diagonal crosshatch pattern)

Appearance: Areas are shown with a pink or magenta diagonal crosshatch pattern filling polygonal boundaries.

Distribution: The habitat boundaries form a continuous band along Florida's entire coastline, following the shoreline from the western panhandle through the peninsula and around the Keys.

Notable locations: Significant concentrations of habitat include the entire Gulf of America coastline from Pensacola to Cape Coral, the southwestern coast around Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, the Atlantic coast from Jacksonville south to Miami, and offshore waters in the Straits of Florida south of the Keys extending toward Cuba.

Spatial patterns: The habitat forms a continuous linear corridor following Florida's coastal perimeter, with the band generally remaining close to shore along most of the peninsula. The pattern widens in offshore areas south of the Florida Keys, indicating expanded marine habitat in deeper waters. The distribution suggests the species' reliance on coastal and nearshore marine environments throughout its Florida range.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map specifically shows the single thematic layer for Loggerhead Sea Turtle threatened species habitat boundaries. The data represents official species range designations used for conservation and management purposes under the Endangered Species Act. Base map features including state boundaries and city labels are provided for geographic reference but are not part of the thematic species data layer.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source: United States Fish and Wildlife Service polygonal boundaries for species in the State of Florida.

Definition Query: The map displays only records where the common name equals "LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE," filtering the broader species dataset to show this single threatened species.

Scale Information: The map is displayed at a statewide scale showing the entire Florida peninsula and adjacent waters, appropriate for understanding the full geographic range of the species across its Florida habitat.

Coordinate System: NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Limitations: The boundaries represent the species range as understood by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and may not reflect all areas where individual turtles may occasionally be observed. The dataset shows broad habitat boundaries rather than specific nesting sites or fine-scale habitat usage patterns.

Map Coverage: The map extent includes the entire state of Florida from the panhandle to the Keys, portions of southern Georgia and Alabama, and marine waters of the Gulf of America, Atlantic Ocean, and Straits of Florida surrounding the peninsula.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.