Drones confirm importance of Costa Rican waters for sea turtles

(Duke University) A new drone-enabled population survey -- the first ever on sea turtles -- shows that larger-than-anticipated numbers of turtles aggregate in waters off Costa Rica's Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. Scientists from Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill estimate turtle densities may reach up to 2,086 animals per square kilometer. The study underscores the importance of the Ostional habitat; it also confirms that drones are a reliable tool for surveying sea turtle abundance.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news