15th Annual Tour de Turtles Underway from Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
The 15th annual Tour de Turtles is well underway for 2 female sea turtles, Neytiri and Ronal. Fun fact, these turtles are named after characters in the highly anticipated upcoming film “Avatar: The Way of Water,”. The turtles began their migration marathon from their nesting grounds of Vero Beach and will make their way to the feeding grounds in The Bahamas, the Caribbean, and beyond.
Researchers from the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) and Disney Conservation Team Wildlife will track the two female turtles to determine how far they swim during the migration season using satellite telemetry.
The data collected during Tour de Turtles helps researchers, conservationists and governing agencies make more informed decisions about sea turtle conservation methods and policies. The data received from the turtle’s transmitter comes in the form of digital codes, which must be deciphered. The codes allow researchers to determine, with varying degrees of reliability, the latitude and longitude location of the turtle, the number of dives taken during the last 24 hours, the duration of the most recent dive, and the water temperature.
Photo: Disney
Did you know that sea turtles have been living on planet Earth since before the time of the dinosaurs? After decades of traveling the open ocean, female sea turtles return to the nesting grounds where they were hatched to lay their own eggs. Southeast Florida, where Vero Beach is located, is one of the most important turtle nesting habitats in the world.
Photo: Disney
As part of the celebration, a larger-than-life sand sculpture was crafted by sand artisans to commemorate the weekend.
Tour de Turtles is a research and education program of the Sea Turtle Conservancy and is an example of Disney Planet Possible at work. To learn more and follow the turtles’ migration, visit the Tour de Turtles website at tourdeturtles.org. And be sure to watch “Avatar: The Way of Water,” in theaters Dec. 16.
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Source: Disney
