Loggerhead Turtle “Tuba” Stays Near Türkiye’s Coasts

(MENAFN) A loggerhead sea turtle named “Tuba,” equipped with a satellite tracking device in western Türkiye, has remained along the nation’s Aegean shoreline and in the eastern Mediterranean during her second monitored journey, instead of embarking on another long-distance trip to the Adriatic.

Tuba, a female estimated to be between 25 and 30 years old, was initially fitted with a transmitter in 2019 by the Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (DEKAMER) in Mugla province, with assistance from the TUI Care Foundation. She was released from Iztuzu Beach near Dalyan in southwestern Türkiye.

That year, Tuba became the first turtle from Türkiye to be tracked all the way to the Adriatic Sea. After her release, she spent nearly two months in waters off Marmaris before reaching Greece. She then traveled along the coasts of Malta, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, and Croatia, covering approximately 25,000 kilometers (15,534 miles) before arriving in the Adriatic.

Following her return to nesting grounds, Tuba was fitted with a new satellite device in August and released once again. Since Aug. 9, she has covered about 10,000 kilometers (over 6,200 miles).

Yakup Kaska, a biologist at Pamukkale University in Denizli province, told a news agency that the team had previously monitored Tuba for nearly four years and resumed tracking in 2025 with the new transmitter.

“We were very curious if she would follow the same route initially. She has been circling off Rhodes, around Bodrum, and south of Karaada, covering about 10,000 kilometers,” Kaska said.

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