An Assessment of Egg Size in The Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) on Samandağ Beach, Turkey

Abstract

Many environmental factors such as temperature and moisture are known to influence the eggs of sea turtles. Egg diameter, egg circumference and egg weight were compared in the three stages on Samandağ beach, Turkey. Also, distance from sea, total nest depth, total eggs (clutch size), number of unhatched eggs were measured. In total, 284 eggs from 44 nests were measured. There were significant differences among the stages in term of egg diameter and egg weight. However; there are no significant differences among the stages in term of egg circumference. The egg diameter and egg weight were positively correlated with distance from the sea. Total nest depth was positively correlated with egg circumference and egg weight. The nests further from the sea and deeper from the surface have large egg size. If larger females produce large eggs, large females are attempting to nesting further from the sea and deeper from the surface. The morphometric characters of female turtles not measure in this study. Similar research can be done including female measurements in the future. These results would be useful for conservation workers or nest site managers