Wershoven, Robert 



Assessment of Utilization of Sleepincf Habitat by 

 Juvenile Turtles off Broward County. Florida 



Broward County Audubon Society 

 Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442 USA 



Juvenile green turtles are frequently sighted by divers 

 over the hardbottom, first reef area of Broward County, Florida. 

 The range, feeding habits, and growth rates of this population 

 are unknown. Adult green turtles are rarely observed in this 

 habitat, even though there is a small nesting population. In 

 addition to observation by divers, juvenile green turtles 

 frequently strand along the beaches of Broward County. 



A study was implemented to gather more information about 

 this population. Dives were conducted along a mile-stretch of 

 hardbottom known to harbor sleeping animals during the nighttime 

 hours. The reef area consists of scattered coral heads with 

 limestone ledges at depths of three to six meters. Animals were 

 captured by hand, brought to the surface, measured, observed, 

 tagged with #681 Inconel tags, and released. 



Data were supplemented by necropsies performed on 10 

 juvenile green turtles after stranding. Stomach contents were 

 removed for analysis, and the intestinal tract and pre-stomach 

 were examined for obstruction. 



The diving survey has resulted in 72 green turtles and 3 

 hawksbills captured and tagged between March 1986 and September 

 1987. Twenty of these turtles were recaptured, with four green 

 turtles showing multiple recaptures. One hawksbill was 

 recaptured seven times. Curved carapace lengths range from 27.4 

 cm to 67 cm at time of initial capture. 



Turtles have not been observed feeding on any occasion. 

 Examination of the stomach contents through the cooperation of 

 George Balazs and NMFS indicate the consumption of the algae 

 Gelidium crinale in five turtles, and Gracilaria cvlindrica and 

 Codium isthmocladum in one. 



Analysis of capture frequencies indicates seasonal 

 variability in utilization of the study area, with the peak 

 period during the month of June. Further study will be needed to 

 verify this. The area appears to be primarily sleeping habitat. 

 Surveys conducted during the day to observe feeding turtles or to 

 locate sources of the identified Gelidium crinale or Gracilaria 

 cylindrica have not been successful. Stranded animals may thus 

 reflect a migratory juvenile population which may, or may not, be 

 representative of that population currently being captured and 



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