Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Submitted January 11, 2023
Published 2023-01-25

Artículos

Vol. 25 No. 1 (2023): Tecnociencia

NESTING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEA TURTLES: Lepidochelys olivacea AND Chelonia mydas, IN PLAYA LAGARTO, LOS SANTOS, PANAMA


Cover image

Citación:
DOI: ND

Published: 2023-01-25

How to Cite

Lombardo, R. C. and Saavedra, D. Y. (2023) “NESTING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEA TURTLES: Lepidochelys olivacea AND Chelonia mydas, IN PLAYA LAGARTO, LOS SANTOS, PANAMA”, Tecnociencia, 25(1), pp. 63–88. Available at: https://revistas.up.ac.pa/index.php/tecnociencia/article/view/3436 (Accessed: 22 November 2024).

Abstract

The present work aimed to determine the characteristics of sea turtle nesting at Lagarto Beach and evaluate the success of relocated nests. Nocturnal monitoring was carried out from June 2021 to January 2022, to collect biometric data and relocate nests to a local nursery. A total of 53 Lepidochelys olivacea turtles were identified, which averaged 67.90 cm in length and 70.26 cm in carapace width. Thirty-eight Chelonia mydas turtles were quantified; whose carapace averaged 90.18 cm in length and 86.26 cm in width. In sum, 116 nests were relocated to the nursery, and their exhumation allowed the release of 7,059 hatchlings, reaching a 72.68% hatching success rate. Hatchlings averaged 34.26 mm in carapace width, 41.98 mm in carapace length, and 15.39 g in weight. On the beach, 16 nests were poached, 14 of L. olivacea and two of C. mydas, while four were poached in the hatchery. Poaching in the hatchery amounted to 184 and 199 eggs for L. olivacea and C. mydas, respectively. Considering the percentages of hatching by species, it is estimated that 239 hatchlings were lost as a result of egg poaching. It is necessary to further strengthen the protection and conservation strategies for these important marine reptiles.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.