Three species of sea turtles nesting in southeast Florida face a range of manmade threats. Thanks to conservation measures, loggerhead and green sea turtles are recovering, but leatherbacks remain at risk. Researchers know little about this amazing species — and in the battle to save leatherbacks, knowledge is key.

Conservationists are out at dawn every morning, surveying and protecting the nests of all three species to keep them safe from human traffic and rescue any hatchlings stuck inside. Meanwhile, at Florida Atlantic University, a team monitors the health of juvenile green turtles who grow up along the coast, fitting them with ID tags to track their movements and progress.

Florida Atlantic University also has the only lab in the world where scientists study leatherbacks as hatchlings. Unlike the other two species that hug the coast for several years, leatherbacks head right for the open ocean, so FAU scientists are pioneering new ways to learn about the 20-30 years they spend at sea before returning to the beach to nest. Using new, miniaturized satellite tags, they’re hoping to reveal the mysteries of the leatherbacks’ so-called “lost years.”

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