Sea Turtle Saragussm Mat

A number of turtles left the north atlantic subtropical gyre and entered the sargasso sea a.

Sea turtle saragussm mat.

Sargassum provides a safe place for sea turtle yearlings to float on during their early days of life. October 16 2015 the young loggerhead sea turtle its ridged shell only a few inches across is perched calmly among the floating islands of large brown seaweed known as sargassum open ocean stretches for miles around these large free floating seaweed mats where myriad creatures make their home. But when the algae comes. Many species call sargassum home including sea turtle hatchlings fish shrimp crabs and more.

Five species of sea turtles that pass through the atlantic have been recorded there and for at least three of these species the loggerhead caretta caretta green turtle chelonia mydas and hawksbill eretmochelys imbricata the sargasso sea is vitally important. In the sargasso sea alexandra gulick and nerine constant collected data on water temperature in sargassum mats. At sea sargassum provides vital shelter for a variety of species. Birds of all kinds search the sargassum for these species to eat.

The same currents that corral the sargassum help steer the hatchling sea turtles into the sargasso sea which is about 4 1 million square kilometers a vast nursery where they find ample food and protection from predators. Unfortunately these mats of sargassum occasionally wash ashore a problem that has made the news over the last few years. The algae clumps can be a few inches to a couple of miles long and also provides other sea life with a source of food. Most turtles steered clear of the continental shelf but there was a lot of variation in their routes.

Green sea turtles in particular are often found in sargassum mats in which they find shelter food and water. Turtles use sargassum mats as nurseries. Young turtle hatchlings even hitch rides on these floating mats as they venture into the open ocean. Sargassum is a genus of brown class phaeophyceae macroalgae in the order fucales numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs and the genus is widely known for its planktonic free floating species.

Sargassum hildebrandtii grunow herbarium type specimen somalia before 1889. Sea turtles are generally found in the waters over continental shelves. During the first three to five years of life sea turtles spend most of their time in the pelagic zone floating in seaweed mats.