Here's the latest news from our travelling turtles. Thanks to students in Alaska and Wisconsin for participating in the loggerhead turtle hunt and locating the information below. If you're looking for some good reading about sea turtles, check these out:
"Pulling Turtles Out of the Soup", by Jim Watson. National Wildlife, April/May, 1992.
"Cast Ashore: Florida's Sea Turtles Search for a Safe Haven." by Leslie Allen. The Nature Conservancy News, May/June, 1994.
Turtle #58 Date Latitude Longitude March 20* 41.138 N 55.605 W March 24 40.641 N 56.654 W * This reading is in question. Signals from this turtle have not been strong recently.
Turtle #60 Date Latitude Longitude March 22 35.110 N 75.850 W March 25 35.190 N 75.603 W April 1 35.127 N 75.667 W April 3 35.140 N 75.373 W April 8 35.929 N 75.250 W April 10 35.989 N 75.205 W April 17 35.744 N 75.243 W April 19 35.604 N 75.300 W
Found on the Loggerhead Turtle Hunt in Wisconsin and Alaska:
From WISCONSIN: Loggerhead Turtle facts from Samantha Stock Scientific Name: Caretta caretta Size: 76-102 cm Habitat: coasts and open seas Has a wide chunky head (thus the name "Loggerhead") Very powerful jaws, they can crush hard shell prey like crab and mussels. Feeds on sponges, jellyfish and other aquatic plants. Population has decreased due to collection of eggs and hunting controls. In Africa for the past ten years they have been protected and their numbers have increased. Onalaska Middle School Onalaska, Wisconsin dking@uwlax.edu
From ALASKA Loggerhead Turtle Information 1. It is most common sea turtle in North American. 2. It has a large head and a reddish brown upper shell, which has five or more large scales, or laminae, on each side of the midline. 3. They are the largest hard-shelled turtles and are second in size only to the leatherback. 4. Loggerheads feed on marine organisms such as mollusks and crustaceans and also eat seaweed. 5. The biggest they get to be is 7 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds but usually 300 pounds are considered large. *Copyright - 1993 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
Answer to CHALLENGE QUESTION: Q. In what well-known ocean current does # 58 seem to be travelling? A. The Gulf Stream I think.
The weather here today is really warm, it is zero degrees. It is sunny, we have about 16 hours of sunlight now. Bobgerard's Aapa (Grandfather) saw a snowbird, they're usually our first birds we get. Ravens stay most of the winter."
Daniel Gordon 8th Grade, April 18, 1995 Kaveolook School Kaktovik, Alaska Barter Island, Beaufort Sea/ Arctic Ocean Global location ( Lat. 70.12 Long. 143.4 ) dkgordon@arctic.nsbsd.k12.ak.us
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