Authors
Alan F Rees, Dimitris Margaritoulis, Robert Newman, Thomas E Riggall, Paul Tsaros, Judith A Zbinden, Brendan J Godley
Publication date
2013/3
Journal
Marine Biology
Volume
160
Issue
3
Pages
519-529
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Description
Much is still to be learned about the spatial ecology of foraging marine turtles, especially for juveniles and adult males which have received comparatively little attention. Additionally, there is a paucity of ecological information on growth rates, size and age at maturity, and sex ratios at different life stages; data vital for successful population modelling. Here, we present results of a long-term (2002–2011) study on the movements, residency, growth and sex ratio of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in Amvrakikos Gulf (39°0′N 21°0′E), Greece, using satellite telemetry (N = 8) and ongoing capture–mark–recapture (CMR; N = 300 individuals). Individuals encountered at sea ranged from large juvenile to adult (46.2–91.5 cm straight carapace length) and demonstrated growth rates within published norms (<2.7 cm yr−1) that slowed with increasing body size. We revealed that an unexpectedly high proportion of …
Total citations
20132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202475841144881074