A fascinating look at the astonishingly talented sea turtles, and why they urgently need our help.
NOMADEN DER OZEANE: DAS GEHEIMNIS DER MEERESSCHILDKRÖTEN
(Nomads of the Sea: The Secret Life of Turtles)
by Frauke Bagusche
Ludwig/PRH Germany, March 2023
Turtles can do amazing things: some can dive to more than 1,000 metres, others transport organisms across the seas (and thus contribute to their distribution), others act as « architects of the oceans » by helping to spread coral reefs along the sea bed. All have impressive « super-senses », which mean they’re able to return to the beaches where they were born – often decades later, and from thousands of kilometres away. They orient themselves by the earth’s magnetic field, as well as their sense of smell, which allows them to recognise the scent of their first beach.
In NOMADS OF THE SEA, marine biologist Bagusche takes us on a singular voyage around the world and a journey back in time. Her fascinating stories about the turtles’ unexpected talents are interwoven with the latest scientific findings as well as her own personal experiences; and she shows why these popular shell-carriers urgently need our help, and what we can do to preserve these animals as well as our common home – the sea.
Frauke Bagusche, born in 1978, is a marine biologist. After gaining her doctorate at the University of Southampton in England she was responsible for marine biological stations on the Maldives and sailed 9,500 kilometres across the Atlantic from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean in order to draw attention to the litter pollution of the oceans. She gives lectures and holds seminars on subjects connected with marine biology. Her previous book The Blue Wonder was translated into several languages.
There are amazing things going on under water: at night the sea mysteriously sparkles, the tiniest of organisms (plankton) have the greatest power, and the fish are by no means taciturn but instead communicate loudly with one another. Marine biologist Frauke Bagusche has some fascinating tales to tell – stories of the smallest and the largest living creatures in the world. She explains where the smell comes from that tickles our nostrils while we are walking along the beach; what causes the sparkle we see in the water at night; and why the sea steers not only our emotions but also our destiny and that of the entire planet. Her account, in which she explores her own intimate relationship with the sea, is based both on the results of the latest scientific research and her personal experience. Because no matter where we are, we are bound to the blue miracle with every breath we take.