Scientists track turtle migration using satellites

Scientists have used satellite tracking to turn the Atlantic Ocean into one of the world's largest laboratories as they mapped the migratory habits of leatherback turtles.

Their paper, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, describes the three main paths seen among the turtles tracked.

According to the scientists, the turtles either trace a route along the western coast of Africa towards its southern tip, or directly across the Atlantic towards South America.

The third route shows the turtles swimming out to sea before circling in the waters of the central Atlantic Ocean.

Dr Matthew Witt, one of the researchers on the project, says: "There are three clear migration routes as they head back to feeding grounds after breeding in Gabon, although the numbers adopting each strategy varied each year."

Proceedings of the Royal Society B has a particularly strong coverage of organismal biology, but is widely diverse in its scope of biological research.