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Exceptional growth rates of captive loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta
Author(s) -
Swingle W. Mark,
Warmolts Douglas I.,
Keinath J. A.,
Musick J. A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.1430120511
Subject(s) - hatchling , biology , carapace , fishery , bay , sea turtle , captivity , nest (protein structural motif) , wildlife refuge , turtle (robot) , wildlife , zoology , ecology , hatching , oceanography , crustacean , biochemistry , geology
Twelve loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings ( Caretta caretta ) were removed from a nest site (A) at the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Virginia Beach, VA. Hatchlings were distributed among study participants, and raised in captivity for a period of two years. Growth of the loggerheads was recorded weekly by straight‐line caliper measurements of carapace lengths as well as measurements of total weights. Growth rates from the present study were much greater than those measured in previous studies. Mean weights for Nest A turtles at 1.5 years ranged from 10.3 to 17.6 kg, with one exceptional individual reaching 20.0 kg. The data from this study provide new insights into the early growth potential of loggerhead sea turtles. How this accelerated development may affect sexual maturity and post‐release viability remain to be determined. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.