Publication Abstract

Water temperature and internesting intervals for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles

G.C. Hays, A.C. Broderick, F. Glen, B.J. Godley, J.D.R. Houghton and J.D. Metcalfe

Temperature loggers were attached to the carapace of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Ascension Island and Cyprus and to loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) at Cyprus, in order to record the ambient temperature experienced by individuals during the internesting interval, i.e. the period between consecutive clutches being laid. Internesting intervals were relatively short (10–14 days) and mean ambient temperatures relatively warm (27–28°C), compared to previous observations for these species nesting in Japan, although a single internesting interval versus temperature relationship described all the data for these two species from the different areas. The implication is that water temperature has both a common and a profound effect on the length of the internesting interval for these two species: internesting intervals are shorter when the water is warmer.

Reference:

G.C. Hays, A.C. Broderick, F. Glen, B.J. Godley, J.D.R. Houghton and J.D. Metcalfe, 2002. Water temperature and internesting intervals for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. Journal of Thermal Biology, 27(5): 429-432.