Location point updates courtesy of Biologist Sally Murphy, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Maps created by the Sea Turtle Conservancy.
Please note: The presentation of data here does not constitute publication, and the researchers who contributed this data retain all intellectual property rights.
Samworth’s Seafarer left the nesting beach and is the only turtle out of the five in 2003 that migrated southward. (However, three turtles in 1998 did migrate to the south). When she reached waters off of north Florida, the signals suddenly reversed course, which none of our loggerheads have ever done. During certain times the speed of travel was greater than five km/hour. This is twice the speed of migrating loggerheads. Just off the south tip of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the signals turned and headed towards shore as if following the channel into Calibogue Sound. The signals ceased here. These movements and velocity would suggest that the transmitter (turtle?) was involved with a boat. However, the surface time counter in the transmitter indicated that it was still in the water over 90% of the time. This atypical migratory track is a mystery.
South Carolina Loggerhead Sea Turtle Study
Frequently Asked Questions | Activities Related to Sea Turtle Migration-Tracking
