Loggerhead turtle Marie continues to patrol Delaware Coast

LEWES — Ever since she was tagged in Juno Beach Fla., in April as she laid eggs, Marie, a 300-pound female loggerhead sea turtle has made her way steadily northward since before coming to a stop off the Delaware Coast.

Marie first pinged off the coast on July 10, and has remained in the same area since, with her latest ping arriving at 10 a.m. Friday morning. According to global wildlife tracker OCEARCH, Marie has found something she likes, as she has crisscrossed the same area for weeks now.

Since leaving Juno Beach, Marie has traveled more than 2,500 miles along the East Coast, according to her tracker.

The turtle was tagged as part of a long-term study understand how often a female loggerhead turtle is capable of producing a nest during a breeding season.

Marie is a full adult, measuring 3.5 feet long, which is about the average size for a loggerhead turtle, though larger specimens have been observed weighing more than 1,000 pounds.

Loggerhead sea turtles spend most of their lives in the saltwater and estuaries of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.