Genetics Research
Did you know that sea turtle shells contain DNA that offer scientists a simple and powerful way of tracking the health and whereabouts of endangered sea turtles? This is a key step in sea turtle conservation and on Amelia Island, the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch is in its 8th consecutive year of participating in the loggerhead DNA Project conducted by the University of Georgia. By colleting the top egg in a loggerhead nest, the University of Georgia is able to analyze each for the Mother's DNA.
This data provides us with information on:
- The type of sea turtle that nested
- How many nests each female lays in a year
- Whether the turtle is visiting more than one beach
- How close together or far apart each individual turtle lays her nests, both within the same summer and from year-to-year
- The number of turtles nesting in more than one state
- How often each turtle nests
- How precisely a daughter returns to the beach where she hatched to lay her own eggs
The DNA identifies each mother turtle and from these results, UGA can determine if, where and when a particular female has nested on Amelia Island or other participating beaches (North Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina). This research has produced exciting results. For example in 2022, it was determined that a turtle identified as CC008618, returned to northern Amelia Island every 3 years, laying 4-5 nests each time. It was also determined that this mother (shown on the below graphic with a white star) now has 3 daughters that have laid nests along Florida and Georgia's beaches (shown on the below graphic as colored triangles).
The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch shares the results as they become available and publishes them on their webpage. Unfortunately, the project lost some of its funding so UGA has been soliciting donations to assist with the costs of collecting, analyzing and archiving each genetic sample. If you are interested in donating to this cause, please see the UGA Genetics Future Plans and Funding Request linked here.
-Sabrina Robertson
Public Information Officer