(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat -
A turtle that was first tagged in 1998 has returned to Oman after 21 years. Turtles are known to make epic migration at sea to return to the exact place where they were born to lay their eggs.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) said that a green turtle has returned to Ras al Hadd in South Sharqiyah.
'After 21 years, a green turtle returns to the nesting area of Ras al Hadd, where it was first tagged in 1998 by the ministry staff,' MECA said.
After hatching on beaches around the world, these huge marine reptiles undertake multi-year migrations at sea.
Then, they return to the exact spots where they were born to mate and lay their own eggs, according to the research in field.
Scientists have long known that the turtles, like many animals, navigate at sea by sensing the invisible lines of the magnetic field, similar to how sailors use latitude and longitude. But they didn't know how the turtles were able to return to the very spot where they were born.
But that changed in 2015, when a new study found that turtles rely on Earth's magnetic field to find their way home.
'That's because each part of the coastline has its own magnetic signature, which the animals remember and later use as an internal compass,' the study said.
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