September 21, 2012

New Turtle Tracking Technique May Aid Efforts to Save Loggerheads




The old adage “you are what you eat” is helping scientists better understand the threatened loggerhead turtle, which is the primary nester on Central Florida’s beaches.

A study published today in the journal PLOS ONE describes how scientists at the University of Central Florida used a technique that links chemical signatures of the turtles’ diets and their watery environments to their migratory routes. They found the technique just as effective as expensive satellite tracking.