Sea turtle migration

<p>Sea turtle migration is the <a href="/facts/Animal_migration/bXLzgFDb">long-distance movement</a> of <a href="/facts/Sea_turtles/74lTgK3I">sea turtles</a> (superfamily Chelonioidea), comprising the swimming of adults to their breeding beaches, and also the offshore migration of hatchings. Sea turtle hatchings emerge from underground nests and crawl across the beach towards the sea. They then head offshore to the open sea. The feeding and nesting sites of adult sea turtles may be far apart, requiring some to migrate hundreds or even thousands of kilometres.
</p><p>Several patterns of adult migration have been identified. Some <a href="/facts/Green_sea_turtle/KNP9Idqm">green sea turtles</a> shuttle between nesting sites and coastal foraging areas. The <a href="/facts/Loggerhead_sea_turtle/0JQbMp4r">loggerhead sea turtle</a> uses a series of foraging sites. Others such as the <a href="/facts/Leatherback_sea_turtle/Mg8e2UbB">leatherback sea turtle</a> and <a href="/facts/Olive_ridley_sea_turtle/LFTjdyb6">olive ridley sea turtle</a> do not keep to one coastal foraging site, but forage in different areas in the open sea. Although the  leatherbacks seem to forage randomly, drifting passively with the currents, they still return to specific sites to breed. The ability of adult sea turtles to travel to precise locations has led biologists to wonder about their navigational mechanisms. Some have suggested that turtles might use the <a href="/facts/Earth%2527s_magnetic_field/73G36wmx">Earth's magnetic field</a> to fix their position. There is evidence for this ability in juvenile green sea turtles.
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Sea turtle migration open-in-new

Sea turtle migration