Scientists Discover Some Galápagos Sea Turtles Prefer Staying Close to Home

Sea turtles are famous for travelling thousands of kilometres across the ocean, but a new study has revealed a surprising exception in the Galápagos Islands.

Researchers tracking a group of yellow-morph green sea turtles found that none of the nine animals they monitored left the Galápagos Marine Reserve during the study period. Instead, the turtles spent most of their time in shallow coastal waters close to the islands.

A Surprising Discovery

Scientists used satellite transmitters to follow nine adult turtles, including seven males and two females. The animals were tracked for periods ranging from 45 to 418 days.

Five of the turtles remained primarily around a single island. Others travelled between islands, but their movements remained within the Galápagos archipelago.

One turtle travelled between San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Isabela, while another moved between Isabela and Española.

They Stayed Much Closer to Shore

The researchers found that the turtles showed a strong preference for shallow coastal habitats. Although some occasionally travelled as far as 25 kilometres from shore, most stayed considerably closer to land.

Their average home range was approximately 1,498 square kilometres, although the area varied greatly between individual turtles.

The turtles also showed seasonal movement between islands, with these journeys occurring mainly between April and October.

Why the Finding Matters

The discovery could change how scientists think about protecting these turtles. Because some individuals rely on waters around several islands, protecting only one feeding area may not be enough.

Researchers say maintaining healthy coastal habitats and the connections between islands is important for the turtles’ survival.

Scientists Still Have Questions

The researchers caution that the study followed only a small number of turtles and covered a limited period of their lives. Female yellow-morph turtles may eventually leave the Galápagos to reproduce at nesting beaches elsewhere in the Pacific.

Even so, the long periods during which the tracked turtles remained inside the marine reserve suggest that the Galápagos provides an important year-round feeding environment for at least some members of this unusual population.

Sources

• ScienceDaily — “Scientists expected these Galápagos sea turtles to wander. They stayed put” — September 28, 2026
• Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science — “Movements of yellow-morphotype green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Galápagos Marine Reserve” — 2026