Yoshi the turtle continues to enjoy the waters of Namibia since being released from the Two Oceans Aquarium in December last year.
The Loggerhead turtle is now about 131km west of Lüderitz, Namibia, after swimming an impressive 56km on February 2. She has now travelled about 1 533km up the west coast of Africa.
She has travelled at an average distance of 30km per day since her release. She spent New Year relaxing offshore, only travelling 3,5km between 31 December and 1 January. Her average speed is about 1.21km per hour.
Yoshi was released 27 nautical miles south-west of Hout Bay on 16 December 2017.
She is fitted with a tag that is monitored by satellite by Two Oceans Aquarium team, who are able to track her movements every time she surfaces for air.
“The Namibian coastline is long, so at her current pace, it could take her another two months before moving into the warmer waters off Angola. There are various seamounts along the way, which offer fantastic feeding grounds, and knowing Yoshi, we are sure she will head over to these for some feasting (not sure “fasting” is in her vocabulary),” the Two Oceans Aquarium said.
“From the data received, we can conclude that Yoshi is indeed a superhero and doing very well. She has been out at sea for 53 days already, with the two-month mark fast approaching. We are very relieved that she has safely navigated her way through various fishing grounds. We are so proud of this amazing turtle.”
Picture: www.aquarium.co.za