Sea turtles are considered one of the oldest living species on Earth, but it's been a mystery where their babies go after heading out to sea — a period known as their “lost years.” @katemansfield.bsky.social and her team of marine scientists at UCF are working to change that. John Yang reports.

It’s time again for our semi-annual turtle “round-up” at Port Canaveral. Fun day of controlled chaos. We caught 34 turtles. 🐢 we will be back at it again tomorrow. Permits: MTP-231/NMFS 26268.

🐢❤️ www.currentconservation.org/migrations-t...

🚨 We have an exciting new paper including the largest tracking dataset for WILD-caught dispersal stage sea turtles. This was part of @katrinaphillips.bsky.social‘s dissertation work funded in part by the Florida Restore Act Centers of Excellence Program. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Congratulations to #UCF PhD student Callie Veelenturf for being recognized as one of the 2024 Future for Nature awardees! futurefornature.org/future-for-n...

New paper 🚨: By lab alum Dr. Chris Long! Part of his PhD looking at the impacts of harmful algal blooms on sea turtles in Florida. www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...

One of my PhD students, Callie Veelenturf was on #CBSNews, interviewed about her rights of nature work ❤️: youtu.be/F8K4raQ5pY8?...

*Cowabunga* The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge is experiencing an extraordinary sea turtle nesting season so far. We have recorded >12,100 loggerhead and >11,300 green turtle nests so far this year. 12 THOUSAND and 11 THOUSAND. 🤯 (The beach is only 13 miles/20km) 📸: A.Crowder

One of our lab members, Dean Bagley, has been satellite tagging male green turtles for about 10 years. The second male of the season was tagged last Friday with the help of Inwater Research Group. Look at that TAIL! This satellite-tracking research was conducted under FWC permit MTP-051A.

Another gorgeous night on the Archie Carr NWR. We hosted USFWS, NOAA & FWC personnel in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. This never gets old. 🐢 📸: a green sea turtle returns to the water after nesting. Long exposure photo taken without lights.

Full moon on the Archie Carr Refuge. The turtles did not disappoint. Green turtle covers nest at base of dune. Loggerhead turtle attempts to nest alongside done crossover stairs (she returned to water without nesting). 📸/🐢Permits: MTP 186/171; pics taken with long exposure, no lights were used.