Tracking Donovan
DONOVAN’S TRACKING STATISTICS
Release Date: 1-3-2013
Transmitter Type: Wildlife Computers MK10
Data Collected: GPS Location and Water Temperature
Expected Lifespan of Tag: 4 months depending on battery life
Distance From Juno Beach: 602 Kilometers (374 miles)
Current Water Temperature: 21.9° C (71.4° F)
Nearest City: Hilton Head Island, SC
Recent Coordinates: 32.275N, -80.647
Click map above to download a PDF.
Final Update 7/26/2013
Donavan’s last signal was received on July 26, 2013. The turtle last transmitted from off the coast of Long Island, NY. Looks like Donavan was headed back “home” to where he was originally found stranded in Cape Cod.
5/4/2013
Donovan has moved in to coastal waters just north of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He is just a few dozen feet off Hunting Island and Pritchards Island. He is not a mature turtle so he is not in this area to nest. Remember, even though we refer to Donovan as “he,” we do not know whether he is male or female. We cannot tell the sex of a turtle until they reach adulthood. We will continue to watch Donovan as he navigates these shallow, coastal waters.
4/28/2013
Donovan hasn’t moved much in the last month. He is still off Savannah and behaving normally. Donovan is close to a leatherback that has a transmitter. The leatherback was tagged by the Massachusetts Leatherback Research team at the Large Pelagics Research Center. You can read more about her here http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?tag_id=121007&dyn=1367141083
3/27/2013
Donovan is still located off Savannah, GA. There are several artificial reefs that he spends him time around. His transmitter is still functioning well and we are getting frequent data points.
2/27/2013
Donovan is spending most of his time in an area centered around the WW artificial reef off Savannah, Georgia. This reef is composed of a sunken barge and tugboat in about 120 feet of water. The water temperatures are around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
2/12/2013
Donovan is still located off Savannah, GA. He is moving slightly each day but remains in the same general area. His movements and temperature changes indicate that he is behaving normally.
1/29/2013
Donovan is approximately 50 miles off Savannah, GA in 120 ft. of water. He is very close to an artificial reef known as WW that is composed of a sunken tug and barge. It is the second deepest artificial reef in Georgia waters and was sunk in 1996. It is a very popular fishing spot. His behavior appears to be normal and the tag is behaving well.
1/22/2013
Donovan remains in the coastal waters off Savannah, GA. The current water temperature is approximately 65°F.
1/16/2013
Donovan used the Florida Current to travel north. Around the Georgia/South Carolina border, he left the current and heading west, toward the coast. Donovan has spent the last few days just off Savannah, Georgia in shallow water averaging 50-60 feet.
1/8/2013
Donovan is moving at almost 7 km/hr and nearly north of Georgia already! He is using the Florida Current, a component of the much larger Gulf Stream system, to help him travel north. He is in the warm waters at the western edge of the current and does not show signs of slowing down. We are excited to see where he will go!
1/3/2013
Donovan was released on January 3rd, 2013 at 10:30am. Prior to release, a small GPS transmitter was attached to follow Donovan’s movement. The tag will tell us Donovan’s location and the water temperature in which the turtle is swimming.