Monitoring of caretta caretta (Chelonia: Cheloniidae) populations and determination of hatchling gender rates related to temperature on the Bostanlik Beach (Phaselis-Antalya)

There are many studies on sea turtles around the world. But everyday researchers are discovering new information about these creatures. Therefore new studies about sea turtles are deeply required. This research is the first large scale project about Phaselis Bostanlık Bay in Antalya. This research is a two year long study covering both 2016 and 2017 nesting seasons. There are total of twelve dataloggers were used in the study (10 for the 2016 nesting season and 2 for the 2017 nesting season). But due to heavy predation data was only received one datalogger from the 2017 nesting season. According to this data pivotal temperature, 1/3 of the 47-day incubation period, was established as 32,4 °C. With reference to this data, 95.87% of the offspring from this nest were calculated as female. Also in this study, for each sea turtle departing from nest at the Bostanlık Beach, trace and nest dimensions, nest coordinates, predation states from the sea, number of eggs and number of hatching and temperature data were recorded. In 2016, offsprings exit distances of nests from the beach recorded between 14 to 42 metres while in 2017 distances vary from 10 to 32 metres. On avarage, in 2016 distances were mostly between 20 to 39 metres and in 2017 there were 20 to 29 metres. In a two year period, 2016 and 2017, eggs were identified in 12 of 26 nests on the Phaselis Bostanlık Bay. Only one nest from this 12 nests were counted and 75 eggs were identified and all the offsprings from these eggs were reached to the sea. For this nest, offspring output success was calculated as 100%. Unfortunately other 11 nests were heavily predated and destroyed completely. Due the lack of comprehensive studies in the region, the necessary protection measures have not been taken in the past. However, if the necessary precautions are not taken for the protection of sea turtles after this study, the possibility of nesting of the endangared sea turtles will face the danger of exinction as a results of our increasingly polluted beach and sea ecosystems.