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To improve conservation strategies for threatened sea turtles, more knowledge on their ecology, behavior, and how they cope with severe and changing weather conditions is needed. Satellite and animal motion datalogging tags were used to study the inter-nesting behavior of two female loggerhead turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, which regularly has hurricanes and tropical storms during nesting season. We contrast the behavioral patterns and swimming energetics of these two turtles, the first tracked in calm weather and the second tracked before, during and after a tropical storm. Turtle 1 was highly active and swam at the surface or submerged 95% of the time during the entire inter-nesting period, with a high estimated specific oxygen consumption rate (0.95 ml min

Clupeiform fish species, including the Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) that belong to the subfamily Alosinae, can detect ultrasound. Clupeiform fishes are unique in that they have specialized gas-filled bullae in the head associated with the ear via the bulla membrane and with the lateral line via the lateral recess membrane. It has been hypothesized that the utricle of the inner ear is responsible for ultrasound detection through a specialized connection to the gas-filled bullae complex. Here, we show that the lateral line and its connection to the gas-filled bullae complex via the lateral recess are involved in ultrasound detection in Gulf menhaden. Removal of a small portion of the lateral line overlying the lateral recess membrane eliminates the ability of Gulf menhaden to detect ultrasound. We further show that the gas-filled bullae vibrates in response to ultrasound, that the gas-filled bullae are necessary for detecting ultrasound, and that the bullae connections to the lateral line via the lateral recess membrane play an important role in ultrasound detection. These results add a new dimension to the role of the lateral line and bullae as part of the ultrasonic detection system in Gulf menhaden