The geographic specificity of natal philopatry (how precisely breeding individuals return to their natal origins) influences breeding biology, genetic diversity and habitat range, and has therefore important implications for species management. The age at which individuals reach sexual maturity and enter the breeding population is also a vital parameter for demographic analyses. However, empirical research on philopatry and maturation is challenging for long‐lived animals that are difficult to observe, such as marine turtles that have complex oceanic life histories. In her recent study entitled "Precise natal homing and an estimate of age at sexual maturity in hawksbill turtles", Kate addresses that gap by assessing kinship among 256 females from Antigua’s Jumby Bay hawksbill turtle rookery. Learn more about it here!