Conditioning in Loggerhead Caretta Caretta Sea Turtles (2016)

Undergraduate: Laura Diez

Faculty Advisor: Catherine Lohmann
Department: Biology

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Previous research has shown that sea turtles are conditionable, especially when rewarded with food. Additionally, learning rates are hypothesized to increase with age. Our aim is to condition turtles to respond to color for a food reward and then link length of time require to condition with activity levels. Eighth turtles are trained four times per week with a feeding apparatus, placed in home tank; they must pull or push to receive a food reward. Black and white paddles are alternated on left and right sides to ensure they are conditioned for color, not location. Turtles will be deemed ¿¿¿conditioned¿¿¿ after 25 sequential correct choices. Activity rates are determined by flipper counts averaged on multiple videos taken of turtles in experimental tank.