The Mystery of the Missing Turtles

I have had plenty to write about, but no time to do so. I guess my days of September will not be remembered.

This article in the The New York Times was some interesting work done by another student in my lab. For years, sea turtle researchers have been trying to figure out where green turtle hatchlings spend their first few years after they leave the beaches where they hatch. They aren't seen again until they are much larger and move into coastal areas to feed on sea grasses and algae. She used scute to determine the diet of juvenile green turtles and give us a better clue of the habitat in which they spend their "lost years." It appears they are living in oceanic habitat, feeding carnivorously on jellyfish and salps, much like juvenile loggerhead turtles.

You can also listen to the last four minutes of The New York Science Times Podcast with the summary if you prefer audio (scroll down to the Multimedia window). The original article is in Biology Letters if you have access.