Abstract
Newly hatched olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) were tested for their directional preferences in a sand-filled circular arena in total darkness. Hatchlings that had crawled about 5 m on the beach, toward the sea preferred the southwesterly direction that would have brought them to the water line, whereas hatchlings that had been denied this experience headed eastward, a direction of unclear origin. These data suggest that a short crawl across the natural beach can set the direction in which the young turtles subsequently move. The crawling experience was sufficient to acquire the compass course that they later follow, probably with the help of a magnetic compass, not only in the water, but already while still on land.
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Acknowledgements
We sincerely thank Randall Arauz, Director of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, for his overall support of the practical work, Johnny Seel for his assistance in conducting the experiments and the entire staff of PRETOMA (Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas) for their valuable help in collecting turtle eggs and running the hatchery. Special thanks are due to the Siemens company for their financial support and to the Ministry of the Environment of Costa Rica for permitting us to carry out the study at the beach of San Miguel
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Stapput, K., Wiltschko, W. The sea-finding behavior of hatchling olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea, at the beach of San Miguel (Costa Rica). Naturwissenschaften 92, 250–253 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-005-0619-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-005-0619-z