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1 April 2007 An Assessment of Initial Body Size in Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Hatchlings in Turkey
Adem Özdemir, Çetin Ilgaz, Yusuf Kumlutaş, Salih Hakan Durmuş, Yakup Kaska, Oǧuz Türkozan
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Abstract

Eggs, hatchlings, and adult loggerhead turtles, and incubation durations of clutches, were measured on three Turkish beaches (Dalyan, Fethiye and Göksu Delta), and some physical features of nests were compared. These features were not statistically different among the beaches, except for nest depth and distance to the high water mark. There was a positive relationship between hatchling mass and egg size. The carapace length of hatchlings was correlated with both egg diameter and incubation duration. The duration of asynchronous emergence of hatchlings on Fethiye beach was slightly longer than on the other two beaches, and the size of hatchlings decreased as asynchronous emergence proceeded. Of the hatchlings that emerged first, those that died were significantly smaller in SCL and mass than those that lived. These results suggest that smaller hatchlings may not be vigorous enough to emerge earlier from nests, and that they may be less fit.

Adem Özdemir, Çetin Ilgaz, Yusuf Kumlutaş, Salih Hakan Durmuş, Yakup Kaska, and Oǧuz Türkozan "An Assessment of Initial Body Size in Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Hatchlings in Turkey," Zoological Science 24(4), 376-380, (1 April 2007). https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.24.376
Received: 13 March 2006; Accepted: 1 November 2006; Published: 1 April 2007
KEYWORDS
asynchronous
body size
Dalyan
egg size
Fethiye
Göksu Delta
hatchling
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