Biologists Close In On Mystery Of Sea Turtlesu uA‹A“lost Yearsu

Biologists have found a major clue in a 50-year-old mystery about what happens to green sea turtles after they crawl out of their sandy nests and vanish into the surf, only to reappear several years later relatively close to shore. In a paper set to appear Wednesday in the online edition of the journal Biology Letters, three University of Florida sea turtle scientists say they found the clue by analyzing chemical elements ingrained in the turtlesu shells. Their conclusion: The turtles spend their first three to five uA…aˆ?lost yearsuA‚A? in the open ocean, feeding on jellyfish and other creatures as carnivores. Only after this period do they move closer to shore and switch to a vegetarian diet of sea grass u" the period in their lives when they have long been observed and studied. uA…aˆ?This has been a really intriguing and embarrassing problem for sea turtle biologists, because so many green turtle hatchlings enter the ocean, and we havenut known where they go..."