Padre Island National Seashore Kemp's Ridley Tracking Program-2007

A project of Padre Island National Seashore Kemp's Ridley Tracking Program in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.

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Introduction

During each year since 1997, satellite transmitters have been attached to a few Kemp’s ridley turtles returning to the sea after laying eggs at Padre Island National Seashore. Kemp’s ridley turtles nest an average of 2.5-3.0 times per nesting season. Movements have been tracked as a means to predict where and when the turtles might nest again to aid with nest detection. They have also been tracked to determine where the turtles go between successive clutches in a nesting season and after they have completed nesting for the year, to help identify areas of the Gulf coast that might need special protection. The transmitters can last up to 24 months on their backs before failing or falling off. Information from the transmitter data shows that the turtles are primarily inhabiting shallower waters along the Gulf of Mexico coastline, including waters off the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and U.S. Gulf Coast states. Many of the adult females have been tracked to the crab-rich shallow waters off Louisiana, around the Mississippi Delta, but some have ventured as far as the western tip of Florida. This program was expanded to also include monitoring of an adult male in 2006 and an adult male in 2008.

To view other tracking projects conducted at Padre Island National Seashore visit:

Padre Island National Seashore Kemp's Ridley Tracking Program-2005

Padre Island National Seashore Kemp's Ridley Tracking Program-2006

Padre Island National Seashore Kemp's Ridley Tracking Program-2008

Padre Island National Seashore Kemp's Ridley Tracking Program-2010

To view the tracking program cooperatively conducted with Gladys Porter Zoo at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico visit:

Rancho Nuevo, Mexico Kemp's Ridley Tracking-2010