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Turtles hitchhike across the disciplines

March 31, 2003

Many species of turtle travel huge distances during their lives, especially open-water feeders such as leatherbacks. A new approach, to be presented at the Society for Experimental biology on Tuesday 1st April, combines field observations with oceanographic theories to attempt to answer some of the puzzles in open-sea turtle biology. Oceanic data and satellite tracking recently recorded turtles hitchhiking on ocean currents in the Indian Ocean, several turtles travelling hundreds of kilometres on the back of individual current-systems.

Dr. Paolo Luschi, from the university of Pisa, and colleagues use satellite telemetry to track the journeys of adult turtles. As Dr. Luschi states, “Initially, we recovered very unusual and puzzling tracks, for example turtles would set off in a straight line, but then break off into loops that could last months at a time." But when the researchers looked outside their department the picture became clearer. “When we talked with oceanographers a pattern began to form, linked to oceanographic processes such as current systems and surface temperatures,” said Dr. Luschi.

However, the satellite data also found that ocean-currents can cause problems in less free ranging travellers. Some species, such as the green turtle, migrate to specific breeding areas. The turtles often travel huge distances in the process, using well-orientated and straightforward routes to reach their destination. Unfortunately, ocean currents can “blow” turtles off course, leaving them facing a considerable navigational challenge to get back on track.

Combining the two different areas could lead to advances in open-sea turtle biology, an area still keeping many secrets close to its chest. “Hopefully, we can identify the factors that prompt turtle movement and influence their preferred environment. Both could be significant for conservation, as climate change may effect these oceanic processes in the future,” said Dr. Luschi. In addition, the long-term goal is the potential to approach this area from the other side, using changes in turtles and other creature’s behaviour as an indicator of global changes. “This is still a few steps away, though,” states Dr. Luschi.

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