Caretta caretta named Tuba traveled 10,000 kilometers

MUĞLA

A Caretta caretta named “Tuba” with a satellite tracking device installed in 2019 by the staff of the Sea Turtle Research Rescue Rehabilitation Center (DEKAMER) in the western province of Muğla’s Dalyan district and set to the sea has traveled 10,000 kilometers since then.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, DEKAMER scientific coordinator Doğan Sözbilen said that sea turtles were creatures that live for a very long time and spend most of their lives in the sea.

Stating that Tuba, whose shell was cleaned on İztuzu Beach, was released into the sea after the satellite tracking device was installed, Sözbilen said that they were watching the turtle with new technologies.

Noting that very good protection measures have been taken on many beaches in the country and very important research have been carried out, Sözbilen said, “The life of Caretta carettas in the sea is also very important because they spend their lives there. We started to monitor the turtles by using satellite tracking technology to get this information. Tuba is one of them.”

Stating that they follow how the turtle, which was released into the sea, turned towards the beach or other directions, how it was affected by the magnetic field of the ground and the direction of the current, Sözbilen said: “Tuba got a very good reaction from the public. It still sends a signal to us since it was released into the sea. Tuba traveled 10,000 kilometers in two years. It was one of the turtles we watched for the longest time.”

“People ask and wonder about Tuba. Currently, her map has over 4 million views. It is very gratifying that there is such an interest in Tuba. After her release, Tuba stayed off the coast of Marmaris for two months, left there, and moved to Greece and then to the Balkans in about a month. She spent the whole winter off Malta. Moving to Italy with the arrival of summer, Tuba moved to the Adriatic when the summer came,” he added.

Stating that they monitored all the movements of Tuba very well, Sözbilen said that they would continue to watch the turtle as long as the battery life of the tracking device allows.

“The biggest problem in satellite monitoring studies is the battery life of the devices, so the research is usually limited to the battery life. We have so far received the information we targeted from Tuba, but we are very curious how the story will continue,” he said.