Natal homing
Definition
The behavior by which female sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs. This produces strong genetic structuring between nesting populations, making mitochondrial haplotypes useful for geographic assignment.
Related terms
- Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- The sea turtle species that produces tortoiseshell. Distinguishable by its narrow pointed beak, overlapping (imbricate) scutes, and four pairs of lateral scutes....
- Imbricate vs. juxtaposed scutes
- Hawksbill scutes overlap like roof tiles (imbricate); green and most other sea turtle scutes meet edge-to-edge without overlapping (juxtaposed). This difference is...
- Mitochondrial haplotype
- A specific variant of mitochondrial DNA sequence. Because mitochondria are inherited maternally, haplotypes track female lineages and cluster by nesting rookery in...
- PIT tag
- Passive integrated transponder: a small RFID chip implanted under the skin of tagged sea turtles. Can be scanned from a carcass even...
- Scute
- An individual plate of keratinous shell that overlaps with its neighbors on the outer carapace of a sea turtle. Count, arrangement, and...
Explained in
- Sea Turtle ForensicsThe behavior by which female sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs. This produces strong genetic structuring between nesting...