Scientists can now remotely monitor nests and almost exactly forecast when hatchlings will emerge thanks to a novel low-cost sensor modeled after a sea turtle egg.
This information is crucial for managing turtle nests and conservation efforts.
The study was conducted by Samuel Wantman of Nerds Without Borders and Erin Clabough of the University of Virginia. It will be published on October 26 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE
The use of TurtleSense
Olga ga/Unsplash
Human activities are causing sea turtle numbers to fall worldwide; the Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, Leatherback, and Olive Ridley sea turtles are all considered threatened species, as per ScienceDaily.
To guarantee that vulnerable hatchlings travel out to sea rather than toward the city lights of towns, most sea turtle conservation initiatives concentrate on safeguarding them once they emerge.
Conservationists can monitor the nest and calculate the days since the eggs were laid to estimate when they will hatch, but this is incorrect and time-consuming.
To investigate if they could more correctly estimate when the turtles will hatch from the nest, researchers utilized the TurtleSense technology to keep an eye on loggerhead sea turtle nests on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
They placed a little sensor the size of an egg inside the nest and connected a cable to a communications tower so that they could relay information about the movement of the hatchlings from a distance.
The scientists discovered a pattern of vigorous hatchling activity inside the nest, followed by a lull, which allowed them to virtually precisely forecast the day the young turtles would emerge from the sand.
Their findings imply that hatchlings can recognize motion, which enables them to communicate and move as a group.
Additionally, the system successfully located non-viable nests so that monitoring was no longer required.
The new TurtleSense system can cut down on the time and money spent keeping track of nests of endangered turtles while also assisting conservationists in managing nests more effectively.
The approach can also reduce the length of beach closures and allow localities to promote ecotourism centered on sea turtles, which is advantageous for both the local area and sea turtle conservation efforts.
While the researchers monitored Olive Ridley and Green Turtle nests as well as the Loggerhead turtle nests for this study, they observed comparable patterns, indicating that the technique will work for a variety of sea turtle species.
Erin Clabough continued, "Watching newborn turtles raise their heads out of the sand and dash for the ocean is truly amazing, but it's also an unpredictable event.
The TurtleSense system is a low-cost, innovative solution that allows us to remotely detect how baby turtles synchronize developmental movement within their nest in real-time.
The system can be used to detect hatching and better predict when the hatchlings will emerge onto the beach.
It's an emotional experience to see a baby turtle (known as a "hatchling") struggle out of its nest and make its way to the water, as per SeeTurtles.
Everything from footprints to driftwood and crabs is an obstacle, but this slog is necessary for survival.
Birds, raccoons, and fish are just a few of the predators these vulnerable creatures face; experts estimate that only one in a thousand will survive to adulthood in the wild.
Only one in every 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood, according to estimates.
Sea turtle hatchlings consume a wide range of prey, including mollusks and crustaceans, hydrozoans, sargassum seaweed, jellyfish, and fish eggs.
Unfortunately, hatchlings mistake garbage and objects such as tar balls for food and consume them.
Leatherback and flatback hatchlings are much larger than those other sea turtle species.
Even as hatchlings, leatherback turtles are pelagic (live in open water), and their larger size aids in temperature regulation.
When hatchlings emerge from the nest, they use the natural light horizon, which is usually over the ocean, as well as the white crests of the waves, to reach the water.
Other light sources, such as beachfront lighting, street lights, light from cars, campfires, and so on, can lead hatchlings astray, causing disorientation.
Hatchlings face a variety of predators once they leave the nest, including ghost crabs, birds, raccoons, dogs, and fish.
Many scientists are concerned that rising global temperatures will cause warmer sand, resulting in more female baby turtles than male.
