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magnetic compass of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta L.): Can surface waves establish magnetic directional preference?

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Date Issued:
1996
Summary:
Hatchling loggerhead sea turtles emerge from their nests on oceanic beaches, crawl to the surf zone, and swim out to sea. How do turtles maintain oriented headings once they lose contact with land? I tested the hypothesis that by swimming into surface waves hatchlings establish an offshore heading (directional preference), and that once out to sea this heading is transferred to, and maintained by, a magnetic compass. This hypothesis was supported by laboratory and field experiments, described herein. A directional preference can also be established by oriented crawling (from the nest to the surf zone). Thus hatchlings possess two mechanisms (crawling and swimming) for the establishment of an offshore heading. The use of these alternative mechanisms probably assures that turtles escape from shore under the broad range of conditions which they naturally encounter after emerging from their nests.
Title: The magnetic compass of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta L.): Can surface waves establish magnetic directional preference?.
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Name(s): Goff, Matthew Douglas
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Salmon, Michael, Thesis Advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1996
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 43 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Hatchling loggerhead sea turtles emerge from their nests on oceanic beaches, crawl to the surf zone, and swim out to sea. How do turtles maintain oriented headings once they lose contact with land? I tested the hypothesis that by swimming into surface waves hatchlings establish an offshore heading (directional preference), and that once out to sea this heading is transferred to, and maintained by, a magnetic compass. This hypothesis was supported by laboratory and field experiments, described herein. A directional preference can also be established by oriented crawling (from the nest to the surf zone). Thus hatchlings possess two mechanisms (crawling and swimming) for the establishment of an offshore heading. The use of these alternative mechanisms probably assures that turtles escape from shore under the broad range of conditions which they naturally encounter after emerging from their nests.
Identifier: 15285 (digitool), FADT15285 (IID), fau:12056 (fedora)
Note(s): Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1996.
Subject(s): Loggerhead turtle
Sea turtles--Orientation
Animal navigation
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15285
Sublocation: Digital Library
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.