“Tuba,” a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) first fitted with a satellite tracking device in Muğla in 2019, has once again chosen the Mediterranean and Aegean on her second journey, continuing to roam off the coast of Muğla after setting out from İztuzu Beach last year.
The 25–30-year-old turtle, named “Tuba,” was released into the sea on Aug. 28, 2019, with a satellite transmitter attached under a project carried out by the Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (DEKAMER) with the support of the TUI Care Foundation. She became the first sea turtle to be tracked from Türkiye as far as the Adriatic.
After being released from İztuzu Beach in 2019, “Tuba” remained off the coast of Marmaris for around two months before reaching Greece within a month. Following the coastlines of Malta, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia, she covered approximately 25,000 kilometers on her journey to the Adriatic.
Providing data beyond expectations for researchers, Tuba became the longest continuously monitored sea turtle.
Returning for nesting, Tuba was fitted with a second satellite device and released back into the sea during a ceremony on Aug. 9, 2025.
DEKAMER Director Professor Yakup Kaska, who is also a faculty member at Pamukkale University’s Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that “Tuba” has covered around 10,000 kilometers on her second journey since Aug. 9.
“We continue to track Tuba. On her second world tour, she has so far practically taken a tour of the Mediterranean. It would not be wrong to say she has visited almost all the islands of the Aegean,” Kaska said.
Recalling that the loggerhead turtle had previously been monitored for about four years, Kaska noted that tracking resumed in 2025 with a new device.
Noting that data from the second transmitter will help answer many questions, Kaska said:“At the beginning, we were very curious whether she would follow the same route. She roamed off Rhodes and around Bodrum, south of Karaada, covering roughly 10,000 kilometers. In a straight line, this corresponds to about 2,000 kilometers, yet she has mostly remained within our territorial waters. I estimate that Tuba will complete her first year in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Whether she will nest again or set out on a second migration route is something we are all eagerly waiting to see.”
Kaska underlined that satellite tracking studies are crucial for understanding how sea turtles use marine areas and which routes they prefer.
