Movements of three loggerhead sea turtles in Tuscany waters

The coastal waters along Tuscany (Central Italy) are thought to represent a good foraging ground for loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), especially, but not only, during the juvenile phase. We describe the movements of three juvenile loggerheads released along the Tuscany coast after having been accidentally caught by fishermen and rehabilitated by recovery centres of the region. The turtles were tracked by satellite for 20-125 days, displaying two main movement patterns. Two turtles remained in neritic coastal waters for the whole duration of tracking, while the third one moved north soon after release, reaching the northern Ligurian Sea with an open-sea route. These findings show that loggerheads can use Tuscany waters both as a profitable long-term foraging site and as a transit area during their movements towards other destinations