How and Why to Test a Sea Turtle’s Hearing

Recently, Duke University’s Marine Lab documented fascinating news on Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, a critically endangered species. These are also the smallest sea turtles in the world. Most turtles, including Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, have far better hearing in low frequencies. Low-frequency noise dominates their modern coastal water habitat.

Auditory evoked potentials were measured in 13 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Researchers placed electrodes to the turtles’ heads and delivered different 50-1600 Hz tones underwater to the turtles. Results indicated peak hearing sensitivity occurred between 200 and 300 Hz, with a sharp decline in responses above 400 Hz at low to moderate intensity. The researchers noted this is a conservative estimate of the turtles’ hearing levels.

Unfortunately, 200-300 Hz falls within the frequency range of ships’ engines and propellers. Combined ship low-frequency sounds raise the intensity of ocean noise pollution. Not only does this potentially damage turtle hearing, but it also masks environmental sounds—including the sounds of turtle prey, which are necessary for their hunting and survival, and predators. Scientists hope that this new information may guide vessel operators in reducing their low-frequency output. Future field studies can reveal when low-frequency noise overlaps with turtle hearing frequencies and when it begins to alter essential survival behaviors.

References

Muirhead, C. A., Piniak, W. E. D., Nowacek, D. P., & Harms, C. A. (2026). Underwater hearing sensitivity of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii ). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 159(2), 1105–1112.

World’s rarest sea turtle hears in the same range as ship noise. (2026). Earth.com.