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Natal homing and imprinting in sea turtles

Abstract:

One of the most remarkable and mysterious elements of sea turtle biology is the ability of turtles to return to nest in the same geographic area from which they originated. This behavior, often referred to as natal homing, is particularly astonishing because many sea turtles migrate long distances away from their home areas before returning. Explaining how turtles leave a beach as hatchlings and then, years later, locate the same area of coastline after traveling immense distances through the open sea has posed a daunting challenge for biologists who have long struggled to explain the phenomenon without invoking magic.