Kitty

2012 Massachusetts Leatherback Research

A project of Large Pelagics Research Center.

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click map for full-size version Kitty (Leatherback) is 97 km SE of the coast of United States and 117 km from Charleston

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Species: Leatherback
Life Stage: Adult
Gender: Female
Release Date: 2012-08-09 14:43:00
Release Location: Nantucket shoals
Last Location: 2013-05-19 02:16:36

Adoptive Parents:
Danielle and Mark
Shannan Lloyd
Barnstable 4/5 School 246 and 249
Dana Elbrecht DVM
Melinda Cooper
Izzy Payne
Sofia's Class at Morris Grove
Emily Morris
Van Buren Elementary
Kathy Stelley
Nic Tapkas
Devon Hames
Mrs. Olea's Class

Adopt Kitty

Background

We captured Kitty on 9 August, 2012. She was swimming and feeding in an area of Nantucket shoals with many other leatherbacks and plentiful jellyfish. When we did our initial examination, we found that Kitty had two flipper tags and a PIT tag! She is only the second tagged turtle we have worked with during the past four seasons. We traced Kitty's tags to St. Kitts, where she was originally tagged while nesting in 2005. Kitty is due to nest at St. Kitts in 2013, and we are excited that she may be observed so soon after being tagged off Massachusetts! She spent the first several months of the tracking period foraging on the southern New England shelf, and making several loops through the Gulf of Maine. She then moved to the southern tip of Long Island, New York before departing the shelf and moving through the Gulf Stream. Kitty quickly traveled SW back onto the shelf and has remained in the South Atlantic Bight for the last two months. She has been spending much of her time off the southern South Carolina coast and the Georgia/Florida border, west of the Gulf Stream edge. She is currently in close proximity to Lucille and George Senior. Right whale aerial surveys off of Georgia and Florida have reported seeing large numbers of leatherbacks in this region.