![]() Leatherbacks are the most distantly related species to all other sea turtles, and they differ dramatically in their size, shape, and behavior. Sam Trail and Mike Salmon decided to take on the challenge of replicating this experiment with the highly unique leatherback sea turtles. Both turtles had vision that far surpassed what was necessary to detect reflected celestial light, even on moonless nights.Īlthough both loggerheads and green turtles showed this pattern, it was not clear if all sea turtles shared their same degree of light sensitivity. This experiment, which was published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A, demonstrated that both loggerhead and green sea turtles had similar light sensitivity. Y-maze used to test hatchling sea turtles’ light sensitivity. By repeating the trials with different light intensities, Celano could determine how dim a light needed to get before the turtles failed to detect it. If turtles could perceive the light, they would quickly crawl towards it, but if not, they showed no preference for either arm of the maze. There, the hatchlings were placed in a two-armed maze shaped like the letter “Y”.ĭuring each trial, a light was turned on in one arm of the maze, while the other arm was left in darkness. While working with Salmon and other colleagues, Celano collected sea turtles of both species as soon as they hatched and took them back to the lab. Lisa Celano, another researcher at Florida Atlantic University, decided to answer this question by running a behavioral experiment with two species of sea turtles: loggerheads and green turtles. But the hatchling sea turtles’ nighttime journey led scientists to wonder just how sensitive their eyes actually are to dim lights. ![]() If we consider a sea turtle’s entire lifespan, most of which is spent swimming in the open ocean during the daytime, it makes sense that their eyes are adapted for daylight. ![]() “Their vision is not meant for darkness, which is funny because that’s when most seafinding is happening,” she noted, “based on how their eye is shaped and the anatomy…we know that for the most part, they’re built for bright light conditions.” Sam Trail, a graduate student researcher at Florida Atlantic University, explained that, contrary to expectations, sea turtles have eyes that are specialized for seeing during the day, not at night. But on nights with little moonlight, this strategy may be less effective. On nights with a full moon and no clouds, following the ocean’s reflection is easy. Mike Salmon, a biology professor at Florida Atlantic University, “Vision seems to be the major way in which all species of sea turtles find the ocean.”Īt night, when most sea turtles hatch, the moonlight and starlight reflect off the surface of the water, creating a soft glow that acts as a beacon for the tiny turtles. Newly hatched turtles must find the ocean without getting eaten by predators or wandering off-course. This behavior, called seafinding, is hardwired in all sea turtle species. Photo by Max Gotts at Unsplash.įor a sea turtle hatchling, getting to the ocean is critical. Edited by James Murray Leatherback sea turtle hatchling on a beach.
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