Episode guide
Sea Turtles: The Map Inside Her
A mother sea turtle crosses an entire ocean, then finds her way back to the beach where she hatched. This episode follows her long, patient swim and the quiet compass she carries inside.
The science, gently
- Loggerhead sea turtles can sense the Earth's magnetic field, and they use it like an invisible map of the ocean.
- Many females return to nest on the same stretch of coast where they hatched decades earlier.
- A sea turtle cannot pull its head into its shell, so it relies on calm, steady swimming to stay safe.
Wonder together
- If you had a compass inside you, where would it always point?
- What do you think the ocean sounds like from underneath?
- Which beach would you swim back to, no matter how far away you were?
Tonight's calm-down
Lie still and imagine floating the way a turtle swims: slow pushes, long glides. Breathe in as she pulls her flippers, breathe out as she glides. Ten glides is usually enough to feel the waves settle.