This Green Turtle Takes an Amazing Migration Route of 24,000 Kilometers

Illustration of a leatherback turtle. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

JAKARTA - A loggerhead sea turtle named Gumus (Silver) traveled 24,000 kilometers (14,913 miles) across the Mediterranean, one of the most surprising migration routes ever recorded for this species.

Gumus and another loggerhead, Altin (Gold), were fitted with satellite trackers and released in July 2024, on Kızılot Beach in the Manavgat district of Antalya on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, as part of the Sea Turtle Research, Monitoring and Conservation project of the Ecological Research Association (EKAD).

While Altin followed the classic route along the Libyan coast, Gumus took an entirely unexpected path.

He left Antalya, crossed the open sea, stopped near the Greek islands, reached Sicily and Italy, before heading to the Gulf of Hammamet in Tunisia.

Gumus then traveled west along the North African coast, passing near the Gaza Strip, Lake Bardawil in Egypt, and Ras el-Bar before turning back toward Sicily.

From there, he continued his journey west through the Tyrrhenian Sea, past Sardinia, along Algeria, and into the Balearic Sea. Last month, he was off the coast of Torrevieja, Spain.

Onur Candan from EKAD told Anadolu, Gumus has found a new migration corridor in the Mediterranean.

"We believe this unusual behavior is related to the rise in sea surface temperatures, a clear sign of climate change," he explained as quoted by Anadolu (20/2).

EKAD is also tracking two turtles that were recently tagged, Flora and Fauna, whose routes cover a vast area, including Tripoli, Mersin, Greece, and Ibiza.

This project provides important data to protect endangered species as water heating continues to change traditional migration patterns in the Mediterranean.