Abstract

Background:
Shell abnormalities in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) remain insufficiently documented, although they may provide important clues about developmental disorders and environmental pressures impacting this species.

Aim:
This study aims to characterize and examine an atypical pyramidal carapace deformity identified in a loggerhead sea turtle incidentally captured in Tunisia.

Methods:
The transfer of a loggerhead sea turtle to the Marine Turtle First Aid Center at the Faculty of Sciences of Sfax enabled a comprehensive clinical examination, which revealed a shell abnormality. Computed tomography, performed using a CT scanner at the Radiology Department of Hedi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax, further characterized the deformity and allowed assessment of potential skeletal alterations.

Results:
Examination revealed a pronounced pyramidal carapace morphology accompanied by extensive epibiont colonization over the entire body except for the protruding portion of the carapace. Imaging confirmed the external deformity but showed no associated rib abnormalities, indicating the absence of traumatic skeletal injury.

Conclusion:
The observed shell deformity appears unlikely to be of traumatic origin. Instead, the findings suggest a congenital malformation or a developmental disturbance during ontogeny as the most plausible explanation for this unusual carapace anomaly.

Key words: Kerkennah Islands; Tunisia; Sea turtles; Shell abnormalities.