New research indicates that the legendary Sargasso Sea, which includes part of the Bermuda Triangle and has long featured in fiction as a place where ships go derelict, may actually be an important nursery habitat for young sea turtles. Researchers presented evidence of baby green sea turtles arriving at the Sargasso Sea after entering the ocean off the east coast of Florida.

In a study led by a University of Central Florida researcher and published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers presented evidence of baby green sea turtles arriving at the Sargasso Sea after entering the ocean off the east coast of Florida.

The study was the first time that green sea turtles have been tracked during their early «lost years,» which is defined as the time between hatching from their nests along Florida’s Atlantic coast and heading into the ocean and their «teenage years,» when they return to coastal habitats after several years in the open ocean. Not much is known about where sea turtles go during these years, which is where the «lost years» description comes from. The new findings echo the team’s previous research that showed baby loggerhead sea turtles arrive at the Sargasso Sea.

The results are helping to solve the mystery of where the turtles go and will also inform efforts to conserve the threatened animals, especially during their delicate first years at sea.

Florida’s Atlantic coastline is a major nesting area for green and loggerhead sea turtles, which are iconic species in conservation efforts and important for their role in helping maintain ocean ecosystems, says UCF Biology Associate Professor Kate Mansfield, who led the study in collaboration with Jeanette Wyneken at Florida Atlantic University.

Scientists have long assumed that after hatching and going into the ocean, baby sea turtles would passively drift in sea currents, such as those circulating around the Atlantic Ocean, and ride those currents until their later juvenile years.

Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Central Florida. Original written by Robert Wells. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.