Relationship Between Brightness or Size and the Presence of Barnacles on the Carapace of the Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Abstract

In this study, by converting the colors of the first coastal scutes (CI) in the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, into numerical values by the shade (256 phases), it became possible to fully analyze the brightness of the carapace. Two thousand seven hundred fifty-six Cls of hawksbill turtles that had been captured in the Cuban sea from 1993 through 1994 were used. The relationship between the brightness and the width of the first costal (C1W) was examined. The results showed no correlation between brightness and C1W. However, CI with barnacles tends to have greater C1W (27.1 ±2.8 cm), while no barnacles were found on CI with a width of 20.3 cm or less. CI with barnacles, compared to CI without, was low in brightness (somewhat dark) in terms of statistical significance. © 2000, The Herpetological Society of Japan. All rights reserved.