The elusive sex: satellite tracking contributions to male sea turtle spatial ecology

Satellite tracking has revolutionized our understanding of the behavior and ecology of sea turtles. However, most satellite tracking of sea turtles has been performed on breeding females, leaving knowledge gaps with regard to males. To inform future studies, we examined the peer-reviewed literature to summarize the contribution that satellite tracking has made to the spatial ecology of male turtles and describe how the published research varies across time, species, life stages, seasonal cycle phases, regions, and research topics. We systematically reviewed 61 publications reporting tracking of male sea turtles across 6 species. Loggerheads emerged as the most studied species, featuring in 49% of the publications, with green turtles and loggerheads having the highest number of tracked males. The North Atlantic was the most represented region (39% of publications), followed by the Mediterranean (29%). Most tracking of males has been undertaken at foraging areas (77%), often providing information on home range residency. This is followed by migration publications (44%), which have revealed differences among populations and between sexes, with the breeding period being the least studied. We highlight differences in the spatial ecology of males and females (e.g. residency in breeding areas and migration distance) and identified unanswered research questions about male sea turtles. To overcome the lack of knowledge about this important demographic group, efforts should be undertaken to increase the sample size and geographic coverage of tracked males, with special focus on flatback and Kemp’s ridleys, as well as studies in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.