Turtle swims 6,000 kilometres across the Atlantic in five months

Apr 14, 2010, 11:27 GMT

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - A loggerhead sea turtle has crossed the Atlantic in five months, a Spanish nature foundation said Wednesday.

The turtle, named Aurora, was captured in the Canary Islands and a signal transmitter was placed on its 53-centimetre-long shell in July 2009.

The turtle later embarked on an Atlantic crossing during which its movements were followed over a satellite.

Aurora has now arrived in the eastern part of the Caribbean, after having travelled more than 6,000 kilometres, according to the Environmental Observatory of Granadilla on Tenerife Island.

Aurora is the first turtle captured in the Canaries whose movements have been recorded during a transatlantic crossing.

However, such crossings are not rare for marine turtles, which travel long distances when they are young and often return to their native areas to breed.

Aurora's crossing to the Americas could thus indicate that she was born there, the foundation said.

The loggerhead turtle, which is among the world's best-known sea turtles, can weigh up to 160 kilograms.