Name a Satellite-Tracked Leatherback Turtle

Satellite tags typically transmit for at least several months and up to a year or more. However, they may stop working or fall off at any time, making it impossible to predict how long the tag will last.

Any time your turtle surfaces, the tag will attempt to transmit data to satellites passing overhead. Weather conditions and other factors sometimes prevent the tag from transmitting successfully. Updates may happen every day, or there could be several days between transmissions.

These leatherback turtles are tagged by researchers from Nature Seekers after nesting on Matura beach on the east coast of Trinidad in the eastern Caribbean Sea. After they are done nesting, they will return to their feeding areas in the productive waters of the North Atlantic, where their primary food (jellyfish and jelly-like organisms) is abundant. This may include waters near Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada.

Their epic journey is among the longest animal migrations on Earth. Your turtle may immediately swim north, may spend additional time in waters near Trinidad (or even nest again), or may deviate along the way. Watching what happens is part of the fun!

Unless you are present while your turtle is being tagged in Trinidad, there is no way to see your turtle, as they are free-swimming animals dispersed across the vast open ocean. If you would like to name a turtle and be present while it is tagged, we may be able to make that happen with sufficient advance notice and your participation in our sea turtle volunteer trip in Trinidad! Get in touch if this is something you'd like to discuss.

The leatherback nesting season in Trinidad begins in March and ends in August, with a peak in May. Leatherbacks are tagged sometime within that window.

Their northward migration typically takes several months. Leatherbacks are found in Canadian and other northern Atlantic waters between April and December, before they return to the tropics to reproduce.

Your turtle is an adult female leatherback who has just completed the critical and exhausting task of mating and depositing her eggs on the beach. Relying on her remaining fat reserves, she will now make the epic migration back north to replenish her energy with abundant food.

Your turtle belongs to the Northwest Atlantic subpopulation of leatherbacks, which is currently classified as Endangered. Their primary threat is fisheries bycatch.

The satellite tags that are used to track leatherback turtles are highly specialized. They must: be able to withstand corrosive seawater and pressure of the deep (leatherbacks can dive beyond 1,000m); have specialized sensors to measure location, depth, water temperature, and more; have enough battery life to transmit data via satellite at regular intervals over the course of many months, and more. As a result, the tags alone cost more than $2,500 each, in addition to the time, knowledge, permits, and other requirements to deploy them and interpret the data.

Your leatherback naming fee helps to offset the costs associated with tagging by providing direct support to Nature Seekers. In addition, your fee supports Oceanic Society and our global sea turtle conservation program. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your contribution is tax-deductible in the U.S.

Leatherback turtles are the largest of the seven sea turtle species, make the longest migrations, and have the most unique biology and appearance. Learn all about leatherback sea turtles here.