Leatherback Turtles Return To Coast

[Frankie]

MOSS LANDING, Calif. -- Endangered leatherback sea turtles have been spotted again off the central California coast after a two-year hiatus, drawn by jellyfish swarming the area. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tagged and monitored the leatherbacks during a month long survey aboard a research ship and by aircraft. The species, which has been around for 100 million years, has seen its population cut by more than 90 percent over the past 25 years and recently had gone missing from the California coast until this survey. "We're getting a better understanding of the leatherbacks and their coastal habitat here after several years when the population was much lower than usual -- and after we observed none at all in 2006," said Scott Benson, chief scientist for the NOAA's leatherback survey mission based in Moss Landing. Scientists spotted the turtles as close as 5 miles from shore, Benson said. The leatherbacks appear to be drawn back by the influx of jellyfish, whose stinging tentacles make for an irresistible snack after the 7,000-mile swim across the Pacific from Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, where the turtles nest and lay their eggs. The huge abundance of jellyfish apparently is caused by increased upwelling of nutrients like krill and plankton from just above the sea floor this year, Benson said.
Thanks for the heads up Witful!

[sambrinar]

Wow that is a huge turtle. Very cool indeed

[plecosword]

Nice to see them back, what caused it to dispear?

[BigAl07]

Wow! Great article!

Can't imagine that LONG trip or "eating tentacles". To each their own

[Snelly40]

uhhmmmm, jelly donut

great article, it is simply amazing to think that they have been around for 100million years

[Heliux]

WB turtles! i hope the guard the hell out of the beach that they are laying the eggs in... and by guard i mean snipers ready to take out birds, people, and nudists.