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The mother turtle is Impressed researchers They traveled 7,000 miles in seven months, swimming from the warm waters of Panama to the North Atlantic before returning to Florida.
Riptide, female leatherback turtle from the caribbeanwas tagged and released off the coast of Panama on May 22nd.
Since then, Sea Turtle Conservancy, an organization based in Gainesville, Florida, has continued to track the sea turtles’ long and impressive journey.
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Riptide reached the Turks and Caicos Islands on July 11, and was approaching the coast of Nova Scotia on September 14.
It then moved south, and was discovered near Fire Island, New York, on November 23, before continuing south and reaching 7,000 miles by January 11.
Researchers tracked a female leatherback turtle named Riptide over a period of seven months as she traveled 7,000 miles. (Sea Turtle Conservation Association)
David Godfrey, executive director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy, told Fox News Digital that Riptide is one of the first sea turtles the organization has witnessed such a migration.
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“Riptide was one of the first turtles we tracked from Panama, traveling all the way to the North Atlantic and back to the Pacific Ocean. florida coast In just over seven months,” Godfrey said.
“Her 7,000-mile migration is not the longest we’ve ever seen, but it’s definitely less than a year.”
“Turtles have unique behaviors, so it will be fun to return to Panama this summer and see if they surprise us.”
Riptide is currently swimming in waters outside Jacksonville, and Godfrey expects it will make its way back to Panama, where it hatched 93 fertile eggs and built a nest last year.
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“It would be unusual for her to nest two years in a row,” Godfrey observed. “She will probably continue to migrate in search of food until she returns to the Caribbean in 2027.”
He added: “Sea turtles have unique behaviors, so it will be fun to see if they can surprise us when they return to Panama this summer.”
Researchers say the leatherback riptide migrated from Panama to the North Atlantic Ocean and returned to Florida waters. (Sea Turtle Conservation Association)
Officials have not released the distance swimmer’s age, but Godfrey said she was at least 15 years old and “could be significantly older than that.”
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The oldest sea turtle conservation organization (STC) sea turtle We are a global research and conservation group with work throughout Central America, the Caribbean, and the Sunshine State.
Godfrey added that once fully grown, leatherbacks have few natural predators. big shark — but their biggest threat is human activity.
Scientists tracked Riptide’s movements as part of an ongoing sea turtle research effort. (Sea Turtle Conservation Association)
“Unfortunately, we humans are their biggest threat, usually by inadvertently impacting them through commercial fishing activities, boat strikes, habitat disturbance, etc.,” he said.
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“There has also been a significant amount of egg poaching and even some turtles coming back as adults. nesting beachSTC is working very hard to reduce these. ”
