MROSOVSKY ; 



CYAN: 



PRITCHARD: 



K. ECKERT; 



OWENS; 



PRITCHARD; 



MROSOVSKY ; 



PRITCHARD; 



HORROCKS ; 



studies had weighed 20 Kg and 300 Kg (minimum size 

 at maturity) were cited. 



Agreement with the points made by the preceding 

 speaker was expressed. 



Do marine turtles, in times of stress, nest more 

 times during a nesting season? Observations made 

 in Trinidad showed that only 20-35 hatchlings 

 emerged per nest, but no shells were found. Had 

 predation possibly taken place? Did other 

 Caribbean countries have similar experiences? 



The nest location was very deep for leatherbacks, 

 the emergence channel was oblique and the nest 

 site covered a broad area. With any hatching, egg 

 shells had to be present. 



Leatherback eggs are at least 3 feet down and 

 never shallower. Leatherback researchers should 

 have arms at least 72 cm long in order to collect 

 these eggs. 



Why does a leatherback grow so rapidly, unlike 

 most sea turtle species, and then upon reaching 

 maturity revert to the normal turtle reproductive 

 pattern of multi-annual nesting? 



Any sea turtle that grows rapidly as well as puts 

 out as many nests as possible would have an 

 advantage. Because of anatomical structures, this 

 species has the potential to reach maturity in 3 

 or 30 years and because of its size would tie-in 

 ecologically with typical adult temperate/ subpolar 

 water species. 



Do sea turtles increase their egg production in 

 times of population stress? 



In his opinion, frequency and numbers of egg 

 production are related to nutrition of the female. 

 In a stressed population, turtles may be fewer and 

 therefore the remaining animals would be less food 

 limited. In Guiana there is a very stressed 

 leatherback population and their behavior is 

 changing in that 50% of the nesting now takes 

 place during the daylight hours. This behavior 

 pattern only started about 10 years ago. 



An immature leatherback, 10-15 cm long, was 

 collected off the east coast of Barbados. 



157 



