Tracking Amanda
AMANDA’S TRACKING STATISTICS
Release Date: June 11, 2015
Transmitter Type: Wildlife Computers Splash 10AF-344A
Data Collected: GPS location, Water Temperature, and Behavior Information
Expected Lifespan of Tag: 1 year depending on battery life
Distance From Juno Beach: 219 miles
Current Water Temperature: 84.6º F
Nearest City: Sagua La Grande, Cuba
Recent Coordinates: Latitude: 23.775, Longitude: -80.463
Total Distance Traveled: 5,761 miles
Final Update 12/4/2016
After transmitting for 542 days, we received Amanda’s last signal on December 4, 2016. The turtle was still foraging in the Cay Sal Bank.
5/24/2016
Amanda has been tracking for 348 days now and is still foraging around the Cay Sal Bank. Most loggerhead turtles don’t nest every single year but instead nest on a two or three year cycle. Researchers were hoping that this year Amanda would nest so that we could track her to her nesting grounds. Although there is still a chance that Amanda will migrate to her nesting grounds, it is more likely that Amanda will continue to forage this year, building up her energy reserves for the year she does decide to reproduce.
12/16/2015
Amanda has stayed in the Cay Sal Bank (approximately 60 miles from Key Largo) over the past couple of months. She is behaving normally, with most of her dives being 15 meters deeps. This indicates she is likely diving to the sea floor to forage on crustaceans and to rest.
10/19/2015
In the past two weeks, Amanda has made her way to the Cay Sal Bank. Although located closer to Cuba than the Bahama’s proper, it is part of the Bahamas. The area is between 9 and 16 meters deep and has rocky coral heads. An adult female loggerhead named Ce’Nedra, tracked by USGS as part of their Everglades Sea Turtle Project, is currently transmitting from the same area.
10/2/2015
Always a surprise with Amanda. Since the last update, Amanda decided to back track a little and spent some time in the Bahama’s again. After a couple of days in the shallows off of the Bahama’s, Amanda headed south. She crossed over some deeper waters (where she made a dive that was recorded at 380ft!) before heading into the coastal waters off of Cayo Santa Maria, an island just north of mainland Cuba.
9/14/2015
In the past couple of weeks Amanda has followed the coastline south and is now around the Key Largo area. It appears that she is in fact migrating to her foraging ground now that nesting season is coming to a close. Will Amanda end up with Captain Jack in the Dry Tortugas? Stay tuned to find out!
8/27/2015
Amanda has spent the last month on the east coast of Florida, primarily in the Cape Canaveral area. In the last few days, it appears that she has begun moving south and is currently located very near Jupiter Inlet. Her diving data indicates that she is spending time on the bottom and is likely foraging. It is possible that she may move out of the area as nesting season is ending for the loggerheads and may move to a more productive foraging area in the upcoming months.
7/27/2015
Amanda has continued to slowly move south over the past week and a half. Amanda has stayed close to the coast, approximately 2 miles off shore, and is now located just north of Vero Beach, Florida.
7/16/2015
This turtle has become very active since the last update. After spending time on the south Florida coast, she moved into the Gulf Stream to go north offshore from Cape Canaveral when she made a turn to the south and swam into the northern Bahamas. After wandering through the Bahamas as far south as Bimini, she once again moved into the Gulf Stream to go north again, this time to an area between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. This time she turned west, moving into coastal waters near Daytona and has slowly made her way south to Cape Canaveral. Amanda is currently 2 miles offshore from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
6/24/2015
Amanda has been slowly making her way to the south since release. She is currently located offshore south of Pompano Beach. So far, she has not seemed to be in any hurry to go anywhere.
6/11/2015
Amanda was outfitted with a satellite tag before being released. This tag will allow LMC biologists to track Amanda’s movements and behavior via ARGOS transmissions that are made every time she surfaces to breathe. The GPS data are displayed on the above map, made possible by seaturtle.org.