Migration

Turtles migrate to the same beaches time and time again to lay their eggs. Often they return to the same beach where they were hatched themselves. Sometimes the migration may involve travelling great distances - many of the turtles feeding along the Brazilian coast, for example, swim a distance of 4500km against the current to the tiny Ascension Island (which is only 17km wide), and is sited in the mid-Atlantic.

The turtles go to these lengths in order to protect their eggs. On the Brazilian mainland there are many animals that would dig up the eggs for food. On Ascension Island, however, the only predators are the frigate birds that take some of the hatchlings. Both male and female make the long voyage to their nesting beaches, generally every other year.