All about Yoshi - The RECORD BREAKING turtle that swam 37,000 kilometers in the ocean

Yoshi, a loggerhead turtle, recently broken all the records by swimming from South Africa to Australia. The incredible turtle was previously a part of Two Oceans Aquarium in South Africa. In 2017, she was put back in the ocean after 20 years of being with the aquarium.

Who is Yoshi?

Yoshi was found in 1997 by a Japanese fisherman. She weighed only 2 kgs at the time and also had an injury on the side of her shell. The captain named her 'Yoshitaro' after his cook. He later informed the aquarium about the injured turtle. At the time of her return to the ocean, Yoshi weighed 180 kgs which was an incredible feat for the Two Oceans Aquarium staff.

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Yoshi was put back into the ocean in 2017 with a small tracker on her back so that the researchers at the aquarium can be aware of her whereabouts. The loggerhead turtle has approximately completed 26 months in the ocean without much problem. According to the data of the tracking device, she has swum a mind-blowing distance of 37,000 kms from Africa to Australia.

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As per reports, the distance covered by Yoshi is the longest ever recorded of any tracked animal. The researchers say that the loggerhead turtle used to cover around 48 kms a day. However, during the initial days, she only used to move around South African borders and come back to the coast. It was only last year that she crossed the borders and now she is just 66 kms away from the Western Australian Coast.

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Yoshi has also swum across Rowley Shelf, which has a great variety of species to look out for and she is reaching Australia soon. As the battery of the tracking device placed on her back is dying, researchers are planning to give her visit and change the batteries. But, this can only happen if she stops by the Australian coast and ends up at a beach. 

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