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SCIENTIST'S COLLECT DATA ON DIVING BEHAVIOR OF FREE SWIMMING TURTLES: HOW OFTEN IT DIVES AND TO WHAT DEPTH, HOW MUCH TIME IT SPENDS AT THE SURFACE OR RESTING ON THE BOTTOM. THESE ARE PROFILES OF A KEMP'S RIDLEY MONITORED ON THREE DIFFERENT DIVES.
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ADULTS TRAVEL HUNDREDS OF MILES TO GATHER AT THEIR ONLY MAJOR NESTING BEACH AT RANCHO NUEVO, MEXICO. HATCHLINGS DISAPPEAR INTO THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL HABITAT OFFSHORE. SUBADULTS FORAGE AROUND SHALLOW COASTAL OYSTER BARS AND SOMETIMES IN LOW SALT MARSHES ALL AROUND THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ATLANTIC COAST. |
AFTER OVER 30 YEARS OF PROTECTION, A FEW KEMP'S RIDLEYS HAVE NESTED ON BEACHES FROM TEXAS TO FLORIDA, AS WELL AS AT RANCHO NUEVO.
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KEMP'S RIDLEY HATCHLINGS RACE TO THE SURF ON THE NESTING BEACH AT RANCHO NUEVO. THEY DISAPPEAR TO THE SEA WHERE THEY ARE BELIEVED TO RIDE THE GULF STREAM AND OTHER OCEAN CURRENTS AS FAR NORTH AS NEW ENGLAND. SUBADULTS ARE FOUND IN SHALLOW COASTAL WATERS ALONG THE ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS. | |
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THE UNDERSEA WORLD OF SEA TURTLES: HUGE MOUNTAIN RANGES AND ESCARPMENTS LIE DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE SEA. SOME SEA TURTLES ARE THOUGHT TO ORIENT TO SUCH UNDERWATER LANDMARKS.. |
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MOVEMENTS OF A KEMP'S RIDLEY AT SEA, TRACKED BY SATELLITE. TO COLLECT INFORMATION ON SEA TURTLE MIGRATIONS, "SATELLITE TAGS" ARE PLACED ON THE TURTLE'S SHELL. THEY SEND AN ELECTRONIC SIGNAL TO A SATELLITE WHEN THE TURTLE SURFACES TO BREATHE, ALLOWING SCIENTISTS TO CALCULATE THE TURTLE'S POSITION. | |
