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First published online October 27, 2003

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The Journal of Experimental Biology 206, 4317-4325 (2003)
doi: 10.1242/jeb.00657

Use of multiple orientation cues by juvenile loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta

Larisa Avens^1,2,* and Kenneth J. Lohmann¹

¹ Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3280, USA
² National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Beaufort Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516, USA

^* Author for correspondence at address 2: (e-mail: Larisa.Avens{at}noaa.gov)

Accepted 11 August 2003

Although the orientation cues used by hatchling sea turtles have been studied extensively, little is known about the mechanisms of orientation and navigation that guide older turtles. To investigate the orientation cues used by juvenile loggerheads Caretta caretta L., captured turtles were tethered in a water-filled arena located outdoors. Turtles tested under these conditions established and maintained headings in specific directions in the absence of wave cues, familiar landmarks and chemical gradients. Distorting the magnetic field around the anterior part of a turtle's body did not disrupt orientation if vision remained unimpaired. Similarly, eliminating visual cues by attaching frosted goggles did not disrupt orientation if the magnetic environment was undisturbed. However, when turtles experienced a simultaneous disruption of magnetic and visual cues, their orientation was altered. These results imply that sea turtles, like migratory birds and homing pigeons, are able to maintain headings using multiple sources of directional information.

Key words: Sea turtle, loggerhead, Caretta caretta, orientation, cue, magnetic, visual

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