Is seagrass on the menu for hawksbills in the Maldives?

Hawksbills are known as reef specialists, typically linked to coral reef ecosystems. However, in the Maldives we have spotted hawksbills even in seagrass beds. This has raised a question worth investigating – what are hawksbill turtles doing in these leafy underwater meadows?

Entanglement season: How ghost gear threatens sea turtles in the Maldives

In December, a chance discovery on a reef in Laamu Atoll revealed the hidden threat of ghost gear in Maldivian waters. From a single abandoned net to a tiny olive ridley post-hatchling fighting for survival, this story highlights why the North-East monsoon has become entanglement season for sea turtles in the Maldives.

Why do turtle eggs fail to hatch? Glowing microscopic cells reveal the answer

For any species to survive, reproduction is key – and sea turtles are no exception. But when sea turtle eggs fail to hatch, what’s really happening inside the shell? Researcher Alessia Lavigne has adapted cutting-edge fertility assessment methods to find answers to this mystery and open doors for conservation of threatened turtle species.

Turtle patient Autumn fitted with a satellite tag and ready for release. Image.

Why satellite tag sea turtles?

Olive Ridley Project (ORP) recently attached Telonics satellite tags onto two olive ridley sea turtles that were in our care: Autumn and Pickle. But what is satellite tagging, what can it tell us about animal behaviour, and how can it help our efforts in the conservation of sea turtles?