Scientists Track New England's Leatherback Turtles

A research team from the University of New Hampshire has tagged three wild leatherback turtles—one male and two females—as part of an effort to learn more about the species and to identify ways to better protect it. Each satellite tag, which costs about $5,000, is linked to a GPS system which transmits information about the turtle's activities and surroundings including swimming depth, water temperature, and location.

The Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is not only the largest species of turtle alive today, it is the largest reptile on the planet. Adults can grow to lengths of 4 to 8 feet and weigh in the range of 700 to 2,000 pounds and they achieve these massive proportions on a diet of jellyfish.

Kara Dodge, a Ph.D. student at University of New Hampshire and leader of the research project, believes it is the pursuit of jellyfish that has brought increased numbers of leatherback turtles to the area. Dodge suggests that an abundance of jellyfish in New England's coastal waters has erupted due to elevated water temperatures and the leatherbacks have gathered for a feast.

Little is known about the leatherback's adult life. The western Atlantic populations of leatherback turtles nest on beaches in the Caribbean, northern South America, and southeastern Florida. Adult turtles migrate vast distances in pursuit of food. Their range is known to extend into the North Atlantic and from July through October are often seen in the waters off the coast of eastern Canada and New England.

The tagging project has already revealed some interesting results. The male leatherback turtle, tagged on July 17 in Nantucket Sound has already been tracked a distance of 1100 kilometers. The two females, tagged on July 26 and 29 in Vineyard Sound, have traveled distances of 250 kilometers and 65 kilometers respectively.

The research team plans to continue tagging turtles in the region through September with the hopes of equipping a total of nine animals with tracking devices. The project is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Regional Office, and the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association.

Find out more:

• UNH Researchers Tag First-Ever Free-Swimming Leatherback Turtles in New England (Eurekalert)
• The Leatherback Turtle (Turtle Trax)
• Leatherback Turtle Program (Large Pelagics Research Center)
• The Leatherback Trust

Top: Photo © Kara Dodge / UNH Large Pelagics Research Center. Mark Leach, captain of the F/V Sea Holly, poses with Henry.
Bottom: Photo © Connie Merigo / New England Aquarium. Henry, the first free-swimming leatherback captured in New England waters, after he was tagged with a GPS-linked satellite tag by researchers from the University of New Hampshire's Large Pelagics Research Center.