Observations on the Role of Temperature in Loggerhead Turtle Nest Site Selection
Seigel RA. 1981. Observations on the Role of Temperature in Loggerhead Turtle Nest Site Selection. Copeia. 1981(1):238-241
This journal presents the hypothesis that nest site selection by loggerhead sea turtles ( Carretta carretta) may be directly related to thermal variations in beach sand. Data was collected at Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Canaveral National Seashore. Surf and sand temperatures were simultaneously measured with a remote sensing thermometer. Results show that gravid loggerheads traversed a temperature gradient from the surf , over a cooler wet beach, through a dry beach zone to an area where the sand temperature rose two or more degrees .
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Seigel, Richard
- Units
- CANA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, loggerhead turtle( Carretta carretta), Nests & Nesting, Sea Turtles (Cheloniidae & Dermochelyidae)