Researchers fit baby turtles with mini swimsuits and put them on a treadmill to find out how they become 'crawling machines' after they hatch
Once a baby sea turtle hatches from its egg, the lure of the ocean is immediate; hatchlings make the trek from their nest to the water within the first 24 hours, in what’s known as a ‘frenzy’ period.
The journey itself should take just minutes, but disorientation along the way can cause the freshly hatched turtles to spend hours crawling through the sand.
In a new study using specially designed mini-treadmills and swimsuits, conservationists observed how hatchlings cope with disorientation – and, they were shocked to find the young turtles are ‘crawling machines.’
Sea turtle hatchlings are thought to follow the brightest low horizon to get to the ocean – so, the researchers simulated this lighting to guide their path, using tiny treadmills to track their movements. The hatchlings were released back to the ocean shortly after
‘What prompted our study was the desire to understand what happens to these hatchlings after they spend hours crawling on the beach because they are disoriented,’ said lead author Sarah L Milton, PhD, associate professor of biological sciences in Florida Atlantic University’s College of Science.
‘We wanted to know if they would even be able to swim after crawling 500 meters or more, which could take them as long as seven hours to complete.’
The team observed 150 hatchlings collected just as they emerged from nests in Palm Beach Country.
The hatchlings came from 27 loggerhead turtle nests and 18 green turtle nests, and were released back to the ocean shortly after.
To study their movements, the researchers used tiny enclosed treadmills.
Sea turtle hatchlings are thought to follow the brightest low horizon to get to the ocean – so, the researchers simulated this lighting to guide their path.
After walking on the treadmill, the hatchlings were fitted with a tiny swimsuit and placed into a small tank, where the team measured their breathing rates and stroke rates.
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