MIGRATION

With their main objective being an increase in their survival success rate, sea turtles, like many other organisms, carry out important migrations during their life cycle. Biological and environmental conditions in which migrating turns out to be beneficial are the initiators of these migrations. Migrations are mostly related to food search, reproduction, season of the year, population densities and decrease of competition.

Migrations start once the hatchling reaches the ocean, facing big dangers and swimming towards deeper waters.  Migrating areas, routes, and seasons vary from one species to another and from one population to another, moving from feeding to mating and reproduction areas. For example, female Leatherback turtles nesting on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica can migrate up to 3000Km between nesting seasons, even reaching the costs of Africa and Europe.