Smart phones could soon be a turtle’s best friend with a new app for Australians to report turtle sightings launched on World Turtle Day.

TurtleSAT – Turtle Survey and Analysis Tools is an easy to use free mapping app for all smart phones and tablets.

The app is designed for quick data entry with picture guides to help users identify the turtle they have spotted.  The phone’s inbuilt GPS automatically records the location. Users can also easily adjust the coordinates on a map to make it more accurate or log previous sightings. For those without a smart phone there is an easy to use website (TurtleSAT.org.au) to record sightings once people get home or to work. 

"Turtles play an essential role in the ecosystem," says Ricky Spencer a zoologist at the University of Western Sydney and one of the app’s developers." They help maintain water health for plants and other animals by ‘vacuuming up’ algae and dead material and eating young pest fish, such as European carp. 

However, there are many dangers for turtles in Australia, which could threaten their future; from foxes eating nesting females and their eggs to droughts and urban development.

Dr Spencer says data collected through ‘citizen science’ using the TurtleSAT app or website, will help scientists better protect turtles.

“If people report lots of sightings near busy roads or frequent road kills, there are some simple and inexpensive measures we can introduce at those locations, which help direct turtles and other wildlife to safer areas,” says Dr Spencer.

“It’s about getting current and geographically accurate information so we can respond in the most efficient way to give turtles the best chance of survival,” Dr Spencer says.

TurtleSAT is a collaboration of the University of Western Sydney, The University of Sydney, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Invasive Animals CRC, The Field Naturalist Society of South Australia and the Barbara Hardy Institute at the University of South Australia.

Find out more on the TurtleSAT website.  

To download the free app:

iPhone –  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turtlesat-map-turtles/id875169009?mt=8

iPad –  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turtlesat-map-turtles.-tablet/id875726033?mt=8

Android – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wTurtleSAT

Windows Phone – http://www.windowsphone.com/en-au/store/app/turtlesat/8f52b417-b48b-4d5c-8b48-2d00a597a19b