(Phys.org)—A team of researchers with Monash University in Australia and the West Indies Marine Animal Research and Conservation Service has found that changes in temperature and rainfall in the West Indies is not a factor in the declining rate of survival of leatherback sea turtle hatchlings in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the team details their study, noting that more research is required to find the true cause of the declining survival rate of the hatchlings.