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| Loggerhead sea turtles (Carreta carreta). (Picture from: http://www.mnn.com/) |
Experts typically use a GPS (global positioning system) to record the turtle trip. However, this method is expensive and can be lost if the turtle died. Scientists from the Sea Turtle Conservancy is now using cheap and easy way, that is through the blood.
"The technique is as accurate as using a GPS tag," said Daniel R. Evans, a researcher from the Sea Turtle Conservancy, said Tuesday. The research was published in the journal PLoS One. The samples they use are loggerhead sea turtles (Carreta carreta) who regularly spawn in Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
This method is carried out by examining the carbon isotopes in the blood that comes from the turtles devour food while traveling at sea. Carbon has a different isotope or variant, which is contained in all living things. The right mix of carbon isotopes vary by region.
For example, a mixture of carbon isotopes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean different than in the Caribbean. "By examining the mix of carbon isotopes in the blood of turtles, we can pinpoint areas where they migrate," said Evans.
Search results with the method of blood analysis showed that some loggerhead turtles dive to the north, ie, the area offshore Virginia and Delaware. While the others went to the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. Some loggerhead sea turtles are still circulating around Beach Florida.
Previously, with the old method, the researchers think that the majority of turtles dive to the south. "We know some of the turtles back to the north. But we do not think (the waters north) to their favorite locations," said Simona Ceriani, graduate student University of Central Florida involved in the study.
Evans said, protecting the waters where loggerhead sea turtles foraging is no less important than efforts to protect their nests on the beach. *** [LIVESCIENCE | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 4008]
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