GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Satellite tracking of threatened loggerhead sea turtles has revealed two previously unknown feeding "hot spots" in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. researchers say.
The locations are providing important habitat for at least three separate populations of the turtles, a study published in the journal Biological Conservation found.
The two sites, located in the open waters off the coast of Southwest Florida and the northern tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, hold the first clues about how loggerhead sea turtles spend time at sea, in essence most of their lives, researchers said.
"Up until now, management actions that affect loggerheads have often focused on their limited time at nesting beaches, or on fisheries regulations," said Kristen Hart, a U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist who led the research.
Researchers intercepted female loggerheads after their nesting forays to beaches and outfitted them with satellite tags to track when they had arrived at "hot spot" foraging areas in two geographically different locations.
Researchers don't yet know what attracts loggerheads from around the gulf to these specific feeding areas, although loggerheads generally forage on the bottom of the seafloor for crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, clams or conchs.
"The logical next step is to investigate what makes these particular sites 'prime' foraging grounds by mapping and sampling the habitat types found on the sea floor," Hart said. "It would also be useful to tag loggerheads at these foraging sites to confirm how long they reside in these areas, or alternatively to see where they go next."
