Loggerhead Sea Turtle Migration Using the Earth's Magnetic Field: A Virtual Reality Approach

• Main Author: Bagley, Kendall
• Other Authors: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Lohmann, Catherine
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2016
• Subjects: Magnetic Field; Magnetic Sense; Logger Head Sea Turtle; Sea Turtle; Migration; Migration Route; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.17615/ct6k-6z62; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/b5644x072?file=thumbnail; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/b5644x072

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) navigate across a wide swath of the North Atlantic Ocean during their juvenile years. This navigational feat is accomplished, at least in part, by the ability of turtles to detect and respond to variation in the earth’s magnetic field, particularly its intensity and inclination. The aim of this study was to identify potential ontogenetic (i.e., age-dependent) differences in the response of sea turtles to the geomagnetic field. We used a dynamic, magnetic virtual reality system to test the directional swimming preference of two groups of loggerhead turtles (one group composed of turtles aged 0 to 5 months and one group aged 6 to 10 months) placed in magnetic fields that simulated two geographic points along the migration route of C. caretta. For both test locations, the two groups of sea turtles exhibited significantly different directional bearings. This is consistent with the idea that response to the geomagnetic field changes as a sea turtle ages. The results of this study may inform future conservation efforts by enhancing our understanding of how individuals sense and navigate through the environment during early and vulnerable stages of their lives. Bachelor of Science