Sporadic nesting events of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta along the Greek coasts of the Ionian Sea

By

Margaritoulis, Dimitris
Fytilis, Dimitris
Manias, Nikos
Panagopoulou, Aliki
Theodorou, Panagiota
Rees, Alan F.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-8-25

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

38

Pages

225--230

Subjects

Citizen science , climate change , Colonization , expansion of breeding range , nesting areas , nesting distribution

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e159978

 

Abstract

Sporadic nesting events (i.e., any evidence of nesting or attempted nesting) of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta, outside of the systematically monitored nesting areas, were recorded over 40 years (1985–2024) in the Ionian Sea, Greece. Most nesting events were reported by the public. Accumulated records show a wide distribution of nesting events along the coasts, without a considerable north–south gradient—contrasting with a similar study in the Aegean Sea, where nesting was rather uncommon in northern latitudes. This discrepancy is attributed to the different temperature regimes between the two marine areas. Beaches with frequently reported nesting events should be surveyed systematically to assess their nesting magnitude. The consequences of a possible northward expansion of loggerhead nesting in the Ionian are discussed.