title: Swim speed and movement patterns of gravid leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) at St Croix, US Virgin Islands.
abstract: Swim speed, dive behavior and movements were recorded for seven female leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea Vandelli 1761) during a single internesting interval near St Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Modal speeds ranged from 0.56 to 0.84 m s(-1), maximum speed range 1.9-2.8 m s(-1). Turtles swam continuously throughout the day and night. There were two swim-speed patterns; the most common was slightly U-shaped, with high speeds at the initiation and conclusion of the dive, and the less common was continuous high-speed swimming. The U-shaped speed patterns were coincident with vertical diving by the turtles, while the second pattern occurred most frequently during the daytime, with the turtle swimming within 2 m of the surface. This latter swim behavior appeared to be designed to maximize efficiency for long-distance travel. The hypothesis that leatherbacks rest or bask at midday during their internesting interval is refuted by this study.
authors.affiliation: Hubbs Sea World Research Institute, 2595 Ingraham Street, San Diego, CA 92109, USA. seckert@hswri.org
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eckert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004242:Diving / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014426:Turtles / Q000502:physiology*; D014767:United States Virgin Islands