Animal behaviour: Baby leatherback turtles struggle to find the sea on dark nights
Sea turtles need to sprint into the ocean after they hatch, however younger leatherback turtles typically get misplaced on the way in which as a result of they’ve comparatively poor eyesight
Life
2 June 2022
Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) hatchling shifting in direction of sea within the Caribbean Sean Crane/Minden Footage/naturepl.com
After hatching, younger sea turtles embark on a harrowing sprint to the ocean throughout a predator-filled seaside. However new analysis means that child leatherback sea turtles have a tough time figuring out the route of the ocean, main them to stall extra typically than different turtle species and crawl in circles on the sand.
The circling was already reported in leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), however it wasn’t clear why the turtles have this drawback.
Since sea-finding largely depends on night-time …
