Turtles date back to the times of dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago, yet because of changing climate and terribly intense human impact have become a highly vulnerable species today.
More info:The Leatherback Project
Image credits:The Leatherback Project
The most widespread turtles that swim the planet’s waters are:leatherback, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, green, olive ridley, and hawksbill. They are found in every ocean except the Arctic and Antarctic. The seventh, the flatback, lives only in the waters around Australia.
Six of the seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened, endangered, or critically endangered, therefore tagging them could provide crucial information about how to protect them
Image credits:Los Muertos Crew
Image credits:Jeremy Bishop
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), in other words called the lute turtle, leathery turtle or just simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile on earth, reaching lengths of up to 2.7 meters (8 ft 10 in) and weights of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). Leatherbacks are highly migratory; some of them can swim over 10,000 miles a year between nesting and foraging grounds. They are also accomplished divers, with the deepest recorded dive reaching nearly 4,000 feet—deeper than most marinemammals. The leatherback is also the only sea turtle that doesn’t have an ordinary hard, bony shell: its carapace is flexible and almost rubbery when touched.
The modern tags can not only show where the turtle is but also can have different sensors depending on what scientists want to study
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One of those tools could besatellite tagging, which is a key tool for conservation of wild animals because it can provide crucial information to:
It’s important to mention that the first study began in 1979 with 4 sea turtles that were fitted with a harness-attached rope that was tied to a buoy, which was equipped with transmitter. It sent the turtle’s location for a maximum amount of 34 days.Nowadays, tracking devices are smaller, lighter and attached directly onto the carapace. They do not harm the animal and the battery life can also be over a year. The modern tags can not only show the turtle’s position but also can have different sensors depending on what scientists want to study.
Marine conservation biologistCallie Veelenturf, together with other researchers and volunteers on the Pearl Islands in the Pacific Ocean, are tagging leatherback sea turtles with satellite tags. The scientists are collecting data on the migratory routes in order to help protect marine species in the region.
The Leatherback Project is tagging turtles with hope that this will help protect marine species in the region
Image credits:Panama Tourism
Image credits:Callie Annette Veelenturf
“Through understanding their habitat use in this area and how far they go from Saboga, we’re able to proposeinspiringmeasures to protect them,” Veelenturf shares her thoughts and hopes that a national wildlife refuge can be created around Saboga Island, offering legal protection to the turtles nationally and internationally. At the moment, the Pearl Islands are outside the protected Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), therefore this new data could secure the islands’ inclusion in the future.
It’s not just about the turtles, as it’s also about the community of young marine lovers, to whom The Leatherback Project give lessons and recruit activists
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