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The Journal of Experimental Biology 206, 497-501 (2003)
doi: 10.1242/jeb.00108

Magnet-induced disorientation in hatchling loggerhead sea turtles

William P. Irwin^* and Kenneth J. Lohmann

Department of Biology, CB#3280, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: wpirwin{at}email.unc.edu)

Accepted 28 October 2002

Laboratory experiments have indicated that hatchling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are able to establish and maintain courses using information from the Earth's magnetic field. In previous experiments, turtles were tested in relatively uniform magnetic fields generated by large coil systems surrounding an orientation arena. In this study, we investigated the orientation behavior of hatchlings with either magnets or magnetically inert brass bars attached to their carapaces. Control turtles (with brass bars) oriented significantly towards the east whereas turtles bearing magnets were not significantly oriented as a group. The two distributions were statistically different. These results indicate that magnetic orientation behavior of hatchling sea turtles can be disrupted by attaching a small magnet to the carapace. This finding may prove useful both in field experiments and in efforts to localize magnetoreceptors.

Key words: orientation, navigation, magnetoreception, sea turtle, Caretta caretta

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