Meeting Abstract
Understanding diving behavior in marine organisms can shed light on important aspects of their biology such as ontogeny, foraging methods and migration. Studying diving behavior in pelagic species is particularly challenging because the animals are difficult to access. The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is a highly migratory species known for deep diving as adults. Juveniles are rarely seen outside of sporadic strandings and oceanic fisheries bycatch. Major data gaps persist about the nature and locations of juvenile nursery habitat, foraging behavior, and migratory movements in this vulnerable species. They are known as hatchlings, and as mature turtles with very little information about them, juveniles. This study measured diving behavior in the field by captive reared juveniles at different age and size points to assess potential habitat use. Husbandry can influence behavior, consequently we created a diet based upon analysis of pyrosomes, their natural food, raised turtles under conditions that mimic pelagic waters, then released small juvenile turtles at different ages and sizes at sea with time-depth recorders to assess diving behavior. Our results are consistent with the sole previous study of juvenile leatherback diving. The captive rearing techniques we developed for this pelagic species are important steps in filling long-standing data gaps. Captive animals are accessible and provide an avenue to gain initial understanding of where wild conspecifics may occur. Establishing baselines for how juvenile leatherbacks behave, particularly how their diving behavior changes with size, may lead us to locate wild turtle nursery habitats.
