Unraveling the Mystery: How Scientists Discovered the Secrets of Sea Turtles’ Elusive ‘Lost Years’

Scientists are now uncovering where young sea turtles go during a mysterious time in their lives using satellite trackers.

Kate Mansfield, a marine scientist at the University of Central Florida, highlighted that we have lacked knowledge about the early years of these turtles. For a long time, we’ve wondered what happens to them after they hatch and before they return to the shores as young adults. This period, known as the “lost years,” can last from one to ten years.

A recent study aims to fill in these gaps. Over the past decade, Mansfield and her team attached GPS tags to the shells of young sea turtles while tracking them in the Gulf of Mexico. They managed to tag 114 sea turtles, including endangered species like green turtles, loggerheads, hawksbills, and Kemp’s ridleys.

As turtles grow, the GPS tags eventually fall off because their shells shed. Katrina Phillips, another researcher involved in the study, explained that although the tags didn’t stay on long, they provided valuable location data for several weeks or months.

The findings from this study surprised many scientists. Historically, it was believed that young turtles floated along with ocean currents. However, this new research reveals they actively swim and navigate their environment. Nathan Putman, an ecologist on the team, found that young turtles often moved against the currents, showing they are capable of making their own choices.

The research team compared the turtles’ movements to drifting buoys placed in the same waters. They noticed that while many buoys ended up on shore, the turtles remained far from land. Bryan Wallace, a wildlife ecologist, stated that these young hatchlings are not just passive passengers but are making decisions about where to go and what to avoid in the ocean.

The tracking data showed that the turtles explored different areas, shifting between shallow shelf waters and the open sea more than scientists had anticipated. Developing suitable solar-powered tags was also a challenge. Jeffrey Seminoff, a marine biologist, pointed out that for years, the technology fell short of these goals.

This groundbreaking research provides crucial insights into how young sea turtles inhabit the Gulf of Mexico, a vital region for multiple endangered turtle species. As Jeanette Wyneken from Florida Atlantic University noted, it’s not that the turtles were lost, but rather that we lost track of them.