
WASHINGTON — Researchers have made significant strides in tracking the movements of young sea turtles during a crucial phase in their lives using satellite technology.
“We’ve lacked substantial information about the early developmental stages of sea turtles,” stated Kate Mansfield, a marine scientist affiliated with the University of Central Florida. “This segment of their lifespan has remained largely unknown.”
For many years, scientists have been curious about the enigmatic years between the time when newly hatched turtles leave their nesting beaches and when they return to coastal areas, which can range from one to ten years.
A recent study, published on Tuesday, aims to provide clarity on this often-overlooked life stage.
Over the past decade, Mansfield and her team have been attaching GPS trackers to the rapidly growing shells of wild young turtles. By navigating small boats, they sought out turtles floating among algae in the Gulf of Mexico, successfully tagging 114 individuals, including various endangered species such as green turtles, loggerheads, hawksbills, and Kemp’s ridleys.
These GPS tags eventually detach, as “the outer layer of a young turtle’s shell peels off with their rapid growth,” explained co-author Katrina Phillips, a marine ecologist at the University of Central Florida, in reference to the research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Nonetheless, each tag remained attached long enough to relay location data ranging from several weeks to a few months. The insights from their findings have challenged many preconceived notions.
Historically, scientists believed these small turtles merely drifted along with ocean currents, passively at the mercy of their environment.
“Our findings reveal that these turtles are actually engaging in active swimming,” said Nathan Putman, an ecologist affiliated with LGL Ecological Research Associates in Texas.
Researchers validated this by juxtaposing the location data of young turtles with the paths of drifting buoys placed in the ocean concurrently. Remarkably, more than half of the buoys ended up on shore while the turtles remained in the water.
“It turns out this little hatchling is making conscious choices about its direction in the ocean and what it aims to avoid,” noted Bryan Wallace, a wildlife ecologist working with Ecolibrium in Colorado.
The tracking data also indicated a higher than anticipated variability in locations as the young turtles navigated both continental shelf areas and the open ocean.
Aside from the challenging task of locating the turtles, another significant hurdle was the creation of flexible solar-powered tags that could stay attached long enough to provide valuable data.
“For years, the existing technology was unable to fulfill the expectations we had,” remarked Jeffrey Seminoff, a marine biologist with NOAA who did not participate in the research.
The outcomes of this study offer biologists a clearer understanding of how juvenile turtles utilize the Gulf of Mexico, which is a vital habitat for four species of endangered turtles.
“It’s not that the sea turtles were ever lost; rather, we lost track of their movements,” commented Jeanette Wyneken from Florida Atlantic University, who was not involved in the study.