Facts about Leatherback Sea Turtle Migration
- 06
Satellite tracking has recorded leatherbacks migrating over 20,000 kilometers round trip between Indonesian nesting beaches and Oregon feeding grounds within a single year.
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A single leatherback can swim continuously for months without stopping to feed, sustaining long migrations on energy reserves built up at foraging grounds.
- 04
During migration, leatherback sea turtles rely on Earth's magnetic field to navigate accurately across open ocean with no visible landmarks.
- 03
The Pacific leatherback sea turtle undertakes one of the longest migrations of any reptile, traveling between nesting beaches in the western Pacific and foraging areas off the California coast.
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Female leatherbacks show strong natal philopatry, returning to nest on or near the same beach where they were born.
- 01
Leatherback sea turtle migration routes span thousands of miles, with individuals crossing entire ocean basins between nesting beaches and foraging grounds.