Sea Turtles Find Food

Research has answered an interesting question about life in the sea – how do sea turtles find food? They have an extensive diet, including small invertebrates, jellyfish, and fish eggs. The problem is that these food sources are only in small patches scattered across the ocean, so how do sea turtles find them?

The answer relates to Earth’s magnetic field. Sea turtles can create GPS-like magnetic maps of Earth’s oceans. They begin to do this as hatchlings and remember the locations for years or even decades. Loggerhead sea turtles live for about 20 years, and the internal GPS map guides them to food and migration routes for a lifetime. They must begin as hatchlings because many predators can eat a baby turtle. Survival of hatchlings requires that sea turtles find food quickly and grow large enough to escape their predators.

Recent research has shown that sea turtles have two senses for detecting Earth’s magnetic field. One senses the direction of the magnetic field lines, and the other detects magnetic features to locate foraging areas where sea turtles find food and beaches where they can lay their eggs. Research has shown that migrating songbirds also possess these magnetoreception systems.

God has provided all animals with the special equipment they need to survive. We see God’s wisdom and planning everywhere we look in the natural world. As Romans 1:20 says, “We can know there is a God through the things He has made.”

— John N. Clayton © 2025

Reference: Scientific American for May 2025, page 21.