Effects of sand type on hatch, emergence, and locomotor performance in loggerhead turtle hatchlings
2019
Saito, Tomomi | Wada, Maoko | Fujimoto, Ryohei | Kobayashi, Shohei | Kumazawa, Yoshinori
While numerous problems have been identified regarding artificial management of sea turtle eggs, the development of methods and techniques for rearing the eggs, such as relocation and incubation in hatcheries, should be considered an effective approach for the conservation of sea turtles. As sand size is hypothesized to affect the timing of the nest-atrium collapse and hatchling fatigue, one of the important aspects of incubation environment in the hatchery is likely sand. We examined the influence of nest-sand type on hatching characteristics and hatchling quality in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). We collected the eggs from nine nests in the wild and incubated them in two kinds of sand groups in a hatchery. One group of eggs was incubated in fine sand and the other was incubated in coarse sand. Compared to the nests comprising coarse sand, hatchlings from fine-grain sand nests had significantly higher crawling and swimming performance. To increase hatchling survival and performance, fine-grain sand is recommended for use in incubation beds in artificial hatcheries.
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