Satellite tracking of turtles is identifying new migration routes

Satellite tracking of turtles is identifying new migration routes

Sea turtles are a heavily researched marine animal. However many questions are still left unanswered like where do the hatchlings go? We know they go to the open ocean but are they spread all over the oceans or do they congregate? Our best answer at the moment is that they follow the oceanic currents.  Also how do female sea turtles migrate back to the beach where they were born to nest? We know they use the magnetic field of the earth but how can they pin point the exact beach.  We cannot be 100% sure on any of these issues!

However research has shown that

  • The sex ratio of hatchlings is dependent on the temperature of the sand during incubation – the best way to remember the right way around is cool guys and hot chicks (Azimi);
  • Sea turtles migrate thousands of miles from nesting ground to feeding ground and back again – leatherbacks have been tracked to migrate right across the pacific ocean!;
  • Female turtles mate with several males in the ocean and store the sperm inside them;
  • Female sea turtles return to the beach they were born on to lay their eggs laying up to 8 nests per year and return to nest every 2-3 years;
  • Sea turtle bycatch can be reduced by using smart gear such as the Turtle excluder device and circular hooks on long lines.
  • Sea turtles migrate along ‘highways’ in the oceans which are thought to be due to currents – this is very significant for conservation.

The best sources of sea turtle research can be found at the following sites

www.seaturtle.org – main site for sea turtle migration data

www.seatru.wordpress.com – Sea turtle research centre at University Malaysia Terengganu

http://www.seaturtlesociety.org/symposium/ The annual symposiums are the biggest events for sea turtle research and conservation.  They occur annually with hundreds of research papers being presented. You can download the proceedings to get the abstracts of all the papers presented for each event.

www.accstr.ufl.edu – The Archie Carr research centre