Research on the embryological development of the marine turtle population on Patara beach

In this study, the numbers of nests, false crawls and eggs of Caretta caretta and their status were examined on Patara Beach during 1997 breeding season. Furthermore, embryonic development and the effect of environmental factors on embryonic development were investigated. Throughout the breeding season, the predator effect and the negative effect of sand movement on beach were determined as well. A total of 205 emergences were recorded with 52 resulting in nests between 1 June - 22 September. A total of 3769 eggs were counted and 2107 of them hatched. Of the hatchlings, 1638 were able to reach the sea. The rest of hatchlings were either unfertilized (473) or developmentally delayed and died in different embryologic stages (819). A total of 763 dead Caretta caretta embryos was collected from 36 nests for embryologic development study on Patara Beach. In addition, sand samples were taken from the same nests to find out the ratios of the humidity and air. Thus, the effect of ecological factors on embryologic development and embryologic mortality were determined. The temparatures of 3 nests were measured using thermocouples as well. The mean incubation period was 52.05 (range 45-61) on Patara Beach. During the research period, a total of 13 females were tagged.