While the long-distance movements of pelagic vertebrates are becoming known thanks to
satellite telemetry, the factors determining their courses have hardly been investigated. We
have analysed the effects of oceanographic factors on the post-nesting movements of three
satellite-tracked leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) moving in the southwest Indian
Ocean. By superimposing the turtle tracks on contemporaneous images of sea-surface
temperatures and sea height anomalies, we show that currentrelated features dominate the …

While the long-distance movements of pelagic vertebrates are becoming known thanks to
satellite telemetry, the factors determining their courses have hardly been investigated. We
have analysed the effects of oceanographic factors on the post-nesting movements of three
satellite-tracked leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) moving in the southwest Indian
Ocean. By superimposing the turtle tracks on contemporaneous images of sea-surface
temperatures and sea height anomalies, we show that currentrelated features dominate the …