Sea Turtle
The sea turtle travels thousands of miles between their nesting ground and feeding grounds during their migratory periods. The females will return to the beaches where they first hatched to lay their eggs, using environmental cues in the ocean to successfully return to the original spot. We need sea turtles for the survival of our ecosystem, as their movement helps maintain the health of seagrass beds and keeps the nutrient cycling healthy on the beaches. Unfortunately, they face challenges with pollution and climate change.
The adults will migrate every two to five years, from their coastal foraging areas to the waters off of the nesting beaches. They mainly eat algae and seagrass. There are several different species of sea turtles, each of which has their migratory patterns. Leatherback sea turtles will travel up to 10,000 miles in the Atlantic. Loggerheads in Japan will travel about 8,000 miles to Mexico (SEE Turtles).