After a sea turtle hatchling scurries down the beach and plunges into the waves, it vanishes into the ocean, remaining incognito for the next few years.

This early period of a sea turtle's life history, often referred to as the 'lost years', has long intrigued scientists, leaving many questions about this mysterious stage.

Where do these hatchlings go? And when do they transition from being 'lost' to 'found'?

"The majority of flatback hatchlings are retained in the neritic environment, or what we call the shallow waters of the coast", explains Dr. Sean Williamson, a Field Biologist and Researcher at Monash University, Australia. "As opposed to loggerhead hatchlings on the East Coast of USA, which drift in the Gulf Stream all the way across to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean until they get around in line with France".

But how do these tiny travelers navigate such long journeys?

Tune in to the fifth episode of Sea Turtle Stories as Dr. Sean delves into the 'lost years' of sea turtles. He reveals insights from his research, covering everything from hatchling dispersal patterns and their extraordinary navigational skills to the innovative technologies used to uncover these mysteries.

Links For Additional Reading:

• Life Cycle of Sea Turtles by Olive Ridley Project
• Wilson, P., Pattiaratchi, C., Whiting, S., Ferreira, L. C., Fossette, S., Pendoley, K., & Thums, M. (2023). Predicting core areas of flatback turtle hatchlings and potential exposure to threats. Endangered Species Research.
• Barbour, N., Shillinger, G. L., Hoover, A. L., Williamson, S. A., Coles, V. J., Liang, D., Fagan, W. F., & Bailey, H. (2020). Environmental and biological factors influencing dispersal of neonate leatherback turtles from an endangered Costa Rican nesting population. Frontiers in Marine Science.
• Lohmann, K. J. (1991). Magnetic orientation by hatchling loggerhead sea turtles(Caretta caretta). Journal of Experimental Biology.

To support Olive Ridley Project’s work in sea turtle conservation, you can - Name and Adopt a wild sea turtle, Adopt a turtle patient or Donate here: https://oliveridleyproject.org/donate

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Credits:

The Sea Turtle Stories podcast is presented by Olive Ridley Project

The host for the podcast series is Dr Minnie Liddell

The podcast is edited, mixed and mastered by Dev Ramkumar

The podcast series is produced and researched by Anadya Singh