Our patience has paid off…DYLAN IS FINALLY IN THE OPEN OCEAN! We can all breathe a sigh of relief now!

She’s had a few high-class ‘hits’ over the past few days, which indicates to us that it is an accurate account of her location! This also leads us to believe our hunch about bio-fouling of the transmitter was probably correct and that once she got into clearer waters, the problem would resolve itself.

Please continue to visit our website, BLOG, and tracking pages for all 3 of our released turtles:
Spitfire, Vida and Dylan!

And remember, all three of these turtles are still eligible for adoption as Option #2(costs associated with these turtles incurred after their release in addition to the purchase of the transmitter include satellite time and someone to manage the data) and Griffin as Option #1. Adoption information can be found on our website, on-line store, or by calling the Center at 912-635-4444

Sincerely,
Stefanie
Education and Field Coordinator

Join the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and guest speaker Brian Shamblin on Monday, July 28 from 7-8pm at the Brunswick Library to learn about the fasinating discoveries we are making about sea turtles here on Jekyll Island and all over the world though genetic research. This hour long class is free and no reservations are required.

Brian Shamblin is a pH.D. student in the wildlife ecology and management program in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. His Masters research utilized genetic techniques to study loggerhead sea turtle mating and nesting behavior. His doctoral research expands on this theme, continuing broader studies throughout the southeastern United States coastlines and focusing on fine scale analysis of turtles nesting along Georgia’s coast. July’s focus class will cover how different types of genetic markers are used to address sea turtle biology questions, ranging from determining the number of loggerhead subpopulations nesting in the United States to identifying individual turtles nesting on Georgia beaches.

We have been anxiously watching and waiting to see if, when, and where Dylan will transmit another signal. The tracking map below (found at http://www.seaturtle.org/) shows her last high-class ‘hit’ was on Sunday, July 6.

It is not abnormal to find juvenile sea turtles in the inter-coastal waterways. They are young and curious, much like teenagers, and spend their ‘growing up’ time in the inshore waters. Dylan has extra curiosity being that she’s never been in the ocean. We will continue to monitor her progress as long as she continues to transmit a signal. Dylan is a unique case and while we are not sure of her fate, we sincerely believe that she will (or has already) revert to natural instincts and find her way in this new home.

Since her last high-quality “hit” on July 6, there have been a few lower-grade “hits” which have a lower accuracy rate, however it shows us that she is still transmitting. Please note that a few things could have gone wrong with the transmitter as well. If she is not on the surface long enough, her transmitter will not give us good “hits” (more accurate location). Only the good “hits” are reliable enough to post on her tracking with any credibility. There is also the chance that her transmitter malfunctioned, the battery died, or the transmitter was removed (turtles often scratch their carapaces on rocks or reef ledges). Also because the environment she is in behind Cumberland (mud, marsh grass, etc.), it is possible that the switches, antennae, etc. could be fouled and therefore not transmitting a signal. If she moves into clearer waters, perhaps it will start transmitting again.

Please note that the website that hosts and manages the satellite tracking data(http://www.seaturtle.org/) is a separate entity from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC). We have no control over any problems you are facing with their website. You must contact them directly. Since Dylan was a cooperative project between the GSTC and the Georgia Aquarium, it is listed separately from Vida, Spitfire and Bevelyn. You’ll have to do an ‘animal search’ from the general tracking link.

Please continue to visit our BLOG (accessible through our website www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org) for any updates about Dylan that may become available.

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette

Education and Field Coordinator

Here’s the latest sea turtle nesting numbers for Jekyll Island:

Can you believe it, we’ve more than doubled last year’s numbers with still a couple of weeks of frequent nesting to go! Go turtles!

And more exciting news, hot off the press…one of our nests began hatching last night! It was nest #2, laid May 16, and hatched a bit sooner than we expected! Typically, the first few nests laid early in the season have longer incubation periods, and will often take 65 or so days before they hatch. This nest hatched in 55 days!

Once we get a few more nests hatching on a regular basis and get all of our patrol interns trained on post-hatching excavations, we can start our early morning Hatchling Walks! More info on that to come soon, so check back on our BLOG and website regularly!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette

Education and Field Coordinator