TurtleNet: Turtles equipped with solar-powered wi-fi

Its about time turtles had their own internet. In an effort to save a species of snapping turtles, that are facing extinction caused by land development projects eating up their habitat, computer engineers and biologists are working together to create a solar-powered wi-fi network that will enable them to track turtle behavior.

To do that, 15 turtles had solar-powered mini-computers stuck to their backs. Those mini-computers transmit vital data to one another as the turtles come into contact with each other. The collective information is then submitted to a central base station, which is in turn located in a bog which all  of them consider home.

The base station then sends the data to a University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, where scientists keep track of the turtles’ movements and figure out their behavioral patterns. “We’re trying to get a better idea of their range, the routes they take and where they hibernate,” said Mike Jones, a student taking up a doctoral degree in biology. “If you have that information for a good number of turtles, you can predict what their patterns will be for the next 50 years or so.”

The data resulting from the turtle-to-turtle Wi-Fi connections will help researchers and scientists protect remaining turtle habitats.

With booming land development as well as increasing land predators looming over the turtle’s heads, seven out of ten freshwater turtle species native to Massachusetts made their way into the endangered species list. Now that the turtles have their own internet, perhaps they’ll have a fighting chance.

Its about time turtles had their own internet. In an effort to save a species of snapping turtles, that are facing extinction caused by land development projects eating up their habitat, computer engineers and biologists are working together to create a solar-powered wi-fi network that will enable them to track turtle behavior.

To do that, 15 turtles had solar-powered mini-computers stuck to their backs. Those mini-computers transmit vital data to one another as the turtles come into contact with each other. The collective information is then submitted to a central base station, which is in turn located in a bog which all  of them consider home.

The base station then sends the data to a University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, where scientists keep track of the turtles’ movements and figure out their behavioral patterns. “We’re trying to get a better idea of their range, the routes they take and where they hibernate,” said Mike Jones, a student taking up a doctoral degree in biology. “If you have that information for a good number of turtles, you can predict what their patterns will be for the next 50 years or so.”

The data resulting from the turtle-to-turtle Wi-Fi connections will help researchers and scientists protect remaining turtle habitats.

With booming land development as well as increasing land predators looming over the turtle’s heads, seven out of ten freshwater turtle species native to Massachusetts made their way into the endangered species list. Now that the turtles have their own internet, perhaps they’ll have a fighting chance.