Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Wyneken, Jeanette

Abstract

Worldwide, sea turtles are especially vulnerable immediately after emerging from nests. Many monitoring programs measure hatchling production from nest inventories. These inventories rarely account for mortality occurring post-emergence, leaving an incomplete estimate of hatchling production. This study addresses the nest-to-surf data gap for Florida’s east coast nesting assemblages of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Five locations were surveyed during the 2016 nesting season by using infrared time-lapse imagery, night vision optics, and track maps. Over all beaches, 7.6% of the observed hatchlings did not survive to reach the water. Mortality sources varied by location. Observed predators included: foxes, bobcats, yellow-crowned night herons, ghost crabs, and gulls. Hatchling disorientation and misorientation occurred more frequently in urban areas than natural areas. Factors including number of hatchlings emerging, nest-to-surf distance, and urbanization may help managers estimate nest-to-surf mortality. This study will improve life history models that serve as foundations of conservation management.

Extent

53 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00004934

Format

pdf

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