Conservation study uses tiny treadmills to test sea turtle hatchling stamina

A newly hatched sea turtle should be able to crawl from its nest to the ocean in a couple of minutes. Speed is key and survival depends on their swimming ability. Disoriented hatchlings who make it to the ocean expend massive amounts of energy because what was supposed to take a couple of minutes takes hours to accomplish. This is the first study to test the physiological effects of crawling and swimming on disoriented hatchlings.