Migration Paths of Adult Female Green Turtles Detected by Satellite Telemetry

Abstract

Study on migration paths of adult female green turtle was conducted by using satellite telemetry in the Gulf of Thailand during the year 2000. Five post nesting green turtles were attached, four from Khram Island, Chonburi Province and one from Mannai Island, Rayong Province. The results of this study found four different of migration patterns; The first pattern was found from 2 female which were attached at Khram Island, they still stayed around the nesting area. The second pattern was found from one turtle that was attached at Mannai Island, she traveled pass through the Gulf of Thailand heading to the south. The third pattern from another 2 female, one went to the southeastern coast of the Gulf to Vietnam Peninsula after that she traveled to the east cross South China Sea to the north of Sabah of East Malaysia, the other one went to the same direction as the first one but stopped travel and October she stayed around the Rong Island of Cambodia until the last signal. The fourth pattern from the female turtle which was captured by accident after releasing she swam cross the Gulf to the western coast and went down. Results from this study can be pointed that the female turtles which coming to nest in the Gulf of Thailand migrated long distances from different feeding grounds and habitats but still in the region.