Last night was another quiet night for the leatherbacks on Juno. Our crew encountered just one turtle at midnight as she crawled up the beach. This particular turtle was familiar to us; we have seen her not once, but twice already this season! She was last spotted in April and was already tagged by fellow researchers. We were able to sample the turtle for the third time, which is fantastic for our study this year! The turtle was slightly thinner than the last time we saw her over a month ago, which is normal for leatherbacks. Scientists hypothesize that leatherbacks do not eat during the nesting season, so as they expend energy laying nest after nest, they lose a bit of weight. Not to fear, after they are finished laying all of their nests they return to feeding grounds to gorge themselves on jellyfish and gain the weight back that they lost.
In other turtle news, don’t forget that our Turtle Walk program at LMC kicks off tonight! If you have ever dreamed of seeing a loggerhead turtle lay her eggs, then this program is for you! Our expertly trained scouts will find the turtle on the beach, as you relax in an air-conditioned room learning all there is to know about sea turtles. Once a loggerhead has begun to lay her eggs, our staff will escort you to her location to observe. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit our Turtle Walk page. Hope to see you there!