Turtles travel vastly different distances depending on the species and their life stage:
- Sea turtles are known for their extensive migrations. For example:
- Leatherback turtles can travel over 16,000 km (10,000 miles) annually, crossing entire oceans in search of food like jellyfish.
- Loggerhead turtles have been tracked migrating about 13,000 km (8,000 miles), such as from Japan to Baja California.
- Green sea turtles often migrate thousands of miles between nesting and foraging grounds, with some traveling nearly 5,000 km across the Indian Ocean
* Some sea turtles migrate around 150 km for shorter journeys, like hawksbill turtles moving from nesting to feeding sites
* A record migration of 22,000 miles was documented for a sea turtle traveling from Australia to Africa and back
- Freshwater and terrestrial turtles generally travel much shorter distances:
- Box turtles typically live within a one-mile radius their entire lives and can become stressed if moved outside their home range
* Aquatic turtles may travel up to a mile from water to lay eggs or find habitat
* Studies on certain freshwater species show mean movement distances of around 50 meters, with most movements under 100 meters
In summary, sea turtles are among the most migratory reptiles, capable of traveling thousands of miles annually, while freshwater and terrestrial turtles tend to have much smaller home ranges, often limited to a few hundred meters to a mile. This reflects their different ecological needs and life histories.