Adelita (turtle)

Adelita is the name of the first sea turtle tracked across an ocean basin, the northern Pacific Ocean. A satellite tag was placed on Adelita,^[1] a female loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), in 1996^[2] by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols for a research project.^[3][4][5]

The Adelita tracking project provided the first proof of the trans-Pacific migration of loggerhead sea turtles.^[6][7] Adelita was also the first animal to swim across an ocean while being tracked by a satellite.^[8][9]

The 9,000 mile journey of Adelita from Mexico to Japan was featured in the PBS Nature documentary Voyage of the Lonely Turtle.^[10] The documentary follows Adelita as she returns to her birthplace in Japan to lay her eggs.^[11]

See also

• Loggerhead sea turtle
• Magnetoreception
• GPS wildlife tracking

References

1. "ADELITA: A SEA TURTLE'S JOURNEY". Kirkus Reviews. June 30, 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
2. "Spectacular sea turtles and the threats they face". CNN. December 15, 2020. p. 11 of 23. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
3. Yong, Ed (February 24, 2011). "Turtles use the Earth's magnetic field as a global GPS". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
4. "Loggerhead sea turtles go the distance". CNN. Environmental News Network. July 19, 1999. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
5. Weaver, Meg (October 6, 2008). "Wallace J. Nichols on Turtles… and Tacos". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
6. "Mexican, Japanese and U.S. Fishermen Celebrate Sea Turtle's Epic Journey". Underwater Times. December 8, 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
7. "East Pacific Sea Turtle Tracking Project (1996-1997)". NASA. OBIS-SEAMAP. Blue Ocean Institute. Retrieved 18 March 2021. Ancillary Keywords: Adelita
8. Etnoyer, Peter (February 7, 2009). "Satellite tracked sea turtle swims in Google Ocean". Deep Sea News. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
9. "Sea Turtle Research of J. Nichols '89 Featured in Magazine, on PBS' Nature". DePauw University. April 12, 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
10. "About". Voyage of the Lonely Turtle. PBS Nature. May 10, 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
11. "Sea Turtle Navigation". PBS Nature. May 29, 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2021.

External links

• Original web site
• Tracking Page
• Nichols' Blog
• "Interview: Wallace J. Nichols". PBS. 27 May 2010 [May 27, 2010]. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
• Nichols, Wallace J (August 31, 2011). "The Story of Adelita: A (Very) Long Distance Love Affair (With a Sea Turtle)". HuffPost. Retrieved 18 March 2021.