October 23, 2014

Sea turtles’ first days of life: A sprint and a ride towards safety




Scientists follow hatchlings from Cape Verde with tiny acoustic transmitters

With new nano-sized acoustic transmitters, scientists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the Turtle Foundation and Queen Mary University of London were able to follow the pathways of loggerhead turtle hatchlings from Cape Verde. The tiny animals quickly swim through predator-rich coastal waters and are then dispersed by nearby ocean currents. According to the study, which was primarily funded by the Kiel Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean”, the local oceanic conditions are believed to drive the evolution of some unique swimming behaviours. The results are published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.