Welcome Turtle Tracker! Thank you for supporting sea turtle conservation through your purchase of a Sea Turtle Conservancy & Tortuga Moon turtle tracker t-shirt. Below is a list of turtles actively being tracked on STC’s website. Your purchase gives you exclusive access to this page where you can follow any, or all, the turtles listed below. Just click on the turtle’s image or name to view a map of their movements. If a turtle’s transmitter has not sent a signal for more than 30 days (learn why a transmitter may have stopped and other FAQs), they will be moved to the “Turtles That Are No Longer Transmitting” list.
Q: There are no new locations on the map for my turtle. Is my turtle dead?
A: Probably not. No new locations is most likely due to the antenna being damaged. It is also possible that the transmitter has fallen off, algae has grown over the sensors that tell the transmitter to send signals, or the batteries that power the transmitter no longer work. It is possible that the transmitter will start sending signals again, especially if it is an algae issue (see next question).
Q: Why are there such long gaps between location dates?
A: There are many possibilities for the irregularity of positions. The satellite transmitters are not always “on.” The transmitters are programmed so that they are “on” for a set number of hours then “off” for a set number of hours. This helps conserve the batteries which power the unit. In order for a location to be collected, a satellite must be in “view” of the transmitter and the turtle must remain at the surface long enough to give the satellite time to receive a signal from the transmitter. So, several things must happen at the same time for a location to be calculated.
Q: All the most recent locations on the map for my turtle are in the same place, why?
A: This is generally a result of a turtle finding a foraging (or feeding) ground. After a nesting season sea turtles migrate to a foraging area. They generally remain in this area until their next nesting season, usually one or two years later. If the location points of the turtle show movements at a closer scale, the large map will have a link to a zoomed in view of the foraging area.
Q: How long will a satellite transmitter send a signal?
A: Ideally, the batteries in these transmitters can last for 8-10 months, but signals often stop prematurely. Ideas about why this is occurring range from problems from algae growing on the transmitter sensors to turtles knocking the devices off as they wedge themselves under rocks. There have been examples of transmitters lasting only a few weeks, but also examples of transmitters lasting for more than 2 years.
Sea Turtle Conservancy
