TurtleSense helps scientists predict hatching of sea turtles

The research was led by Erin Clabough of the University of Virginia and Samuel Wantman of Nerds Without Borders and their results have been published in PLOS ONE.

Sea turtle populations worldwide are in decline due to human activities, with Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback and Olive Ridley sea turtles listed as threatened species.

Conservation efforts largely focus on protecting hatchlings once they emerge, ensuring they head out to sea instead of toward the bright lights of towns.

Conservationists can count the days since eggs were laid to predict when they will hatch and then watch the nest, but these efforts are inaccurate and labour-intensive.

In the current study, researchers used the TurtleSense system to monitor loggerhead sea turtle nests on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, to see if they could predict more accurately when the turtles would emerge from the nest.

According to the team’s paper, TurtleSense’s main components are the sensor placed in the nest, and an external communication tower adjacent to it.