Locomotion of Sea Turtles

Aquatic Locomotion of Leatherback Sea Turtles

Introduction

There are several species of sea turtles group into seven genera; the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Green Turtle (Chelonian mydas), the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Flatback (Natator depressa). (Sea-turtle world).

There are two swimming period in leatherback hatchlings; the frenzy swimming prido and the post frenzy swimming period. The frenzy period is characterized by continuous swimming for approximately 24 hours, where the hatchlings are trying to get as far off shore as possible. In the post frenzy period, the hatchlings only swim during the day and are inactive at night (Wyneken, 478 – 479).

Jen Wyneken observed swimming patterns in several species of sea turtle hatchlings by harvesting them from their natural habitats, tethering a sensor to them and recording their activities in her lab. While some species require all four limbs to navigate the water, Wyneken observed leatherback hatchlings only used “powerstroking;” there was no rear kicking or dog paddling involved (Lutz, 174). When the turtle needs to be lifted, it uses its front flippers like wings to propel itself upwards; otherwise the wings are converted to paddles to navigate the water. For the purposes of this study, I will be observing Leatherback sea turtles, studying their aquatic locomotion and collecting data.

Methods

A series of video recordings of several leatherback turtles were taken over the summer of 2010. Screenshots of four of these videos were taken to determine the amount of time needed for the front flippers of each turtle to go from maximum height to minimum height; these screen shots were saved on the computer desktop file in the laboratory. From these screenshots, body measurements were also taken of one of the turtles to compare to measurements collected from that photographs...