Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Davis GE and Whiting MC. 1977. Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA. Herpetologica. 33(1):18-28
A decade, 1964-1973, of investigation of sea turtle nesting in Everglades National Park is reviewed. Virtually all nesting was by loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta. Nesting activity increased from ≈ 455 nests to 915 nests per nesting season from 1964-65 to 1972-73. There was roughly 2 times as much nesting activity in even numbered years as in the following odd numbered years. Individual turtles seemed to nest on a 2 year cycle, with four or more nests per year. Nesting interval within a season, May through August, was ≈ 12 days. Mean clutch size was 100 eggs/nest; this declined steadily through the season from 110 to 79 eggs. Annual predation by raccoons, Procyon lotor marinus, on Caretta eggs ranged from 49 to 87%.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Davis, G.; Whiting, M.
- Units
- EVER , GUIS , SESO
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, FL - MS., Gulf Islands National Seashore, Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), Management, Nests & Nesting, Reptiles (Reptilia), Turtles & Tortoises (Testudines), Wildlife Management