Ancient Migration Routes of Leatherback Turtles

Scientists, environmental groups and government agencies are working together to stage the “Great Turtle Race,” in which you can track the movements of a batch of 11 radio-tagged leatherback sea turtles, one of the ocean’s oldest and most endangered species, as they journey away from coastal waters on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

The first tagged turtle to reach the International Date Line will “win.” You might forward this post to students, teachers, parents or anyone else who’d enjoy going along for the virtual ride. The individual turtles can have sponsors, which for the moment include the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, Kalamazoo College, and Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, N.J.

From the Amazon River to the open sea to the waterways of China, turtles have gone from being so common their shells once resembled cobblestones in some waters to status as one of the planet’s most imperiled species.

Threats include everything from coastal development on nesting beaches to long-line and gill-net fishing and plastic bags that resemble the jellyfish the turtles like to eat.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/a-race-to-save-ancient-sea-turtle-species/#more-277

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AxaadzUtGT8