Newest Discovery of “Lost Years” Sea Turtle Mystery
A new study, which is the first to track the trans-Atlantic journey of young sea turtles has found that contrary to previous reports, young sea turtles are actually very active swimmers. This is important because it may give insight to the sea turtle “lost years” mystery. It has always been unclear as to where and how juvenile sea turtles areable to survive after entering the ocean as well as what internal system guides their travel. Juveniles were thought of as helpless drifters, since there has been little research carried out until the mature age of ten, when they return for nesting. Technology is not yet available to safely follow and observe the turtles, however their swimming path can be monitored using acrylic, solar powered trackers. Because turtle shells shed like finger nails it is a challenge to keep them attached for long periods of time without hindering them.
The study compared tracked Kemp’s Ridley (20) and Green sea turtles (24) with surface buoys. The surface buoys were created and weighted in order to mimic young turtles. The study found that the paths of the live turtles varied significantly from the buoys, showing that they did not drift with the currents as expected. In only a few days some turtles were found up to 200 kilometers from the buoys. Many travelled into the center of the North Atlantic Gyre and the Sargasso Sea. Sargassum seaweed mats aid turtle growth by helping to keep their body temperatures up. Now that marine biologists know where the turtles go during their journey, they need to confirm why they go to these specific areas, and how they navigate there.
http://www.naturelssi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/turtlehatchling.jpeg