Title
Insights into habitat utilisation of the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766), using acoustic telemetry
Author(s)
Scales, K.L.;Lewis, J.A.;Lewis, J.P;.;Castellanos, D.;Godley, B.J.;Graham, R.T;.
Published
2011
Publisher
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Abstract
− 1 h− 1; CPUE Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (HMCNM) = 2.34 turtles h− 1; outside boundaries = 0.88 turtles h− 1). Of 26 captures, 19 focal individuals were equipped with ultrasonic transmitters for active acoustic telemetry, and tracked for 6–25 days (n = 10, 2009; n = 9, 2010). Spatial habitat utilisation was found to be highly variable, with large areas of overlap between distinct home ranges. Home range averaged 31.2 ha ± 32.6 (range 5.1–111.3 ha) for the juveniles that were successfully tracked (n = 15), with maximum displacement in the order of 1.8 km ± 1.0 (range 0.5–4.0 km) and net displacement at 1.2 km ± 0.9. This offshore atoll constitutes an important developmental habitat for the regional population and although our tracking durations were limited, home range of juvenile hawksbills at this site is significantly more expansive than that documented elsewhere.

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PUB14685