0000000001031665
AUTHOR
Andrés Estrades
Hypothermic Stunning in Juvenile Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Uruguayan Coastal Waters: Learning for Future Events
Abstract Chelonia mydas in temperate areas exhibits behavioral changes for adapting to sea temperature fluctuations; however, prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can lead to hypothermia and thus hypothermic stunning events. Here we report an unusual stranding event of 90 green turtles recorded in a 12-d period in July 2012 in southeastern Uruguay, analyzing the event in an oceanographic and meteorological context. Monitoring such events provides a unique opportunity to understand the impact of hypothermic stunning on juvenile green turtle stocks that spend the entire year in this temperate region of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Differential impact of marine debris ingestion during ontogenetic dietary shift of green turtles in Uruguayan waters
Anthropogenic debris ingestion has been reported for green turtles in all their life stages worldwide. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the marine debris ingestion by green turtles stranded in Uruguayan coast between 2005 and 2013. Debris items were categorized and quantified by frequency of occurrence, relative weight, volume and number of items. A total of 96 dead stranded turtles were analyzed and 70% presented debris in their guts. The majority of debris found were plastic, being hard plastics the most abundant in weight. We found no differences in debris ingestion in stranded turtles a long the Uruguayan coast. However we detected a negative correlation between the presence …
Epibiota of juvenile Hawksbill Sea Turtles Eretmochelys imbricata stranded in the coast of Rocha Department, Uruguay
The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is the most threatened sea turtle species in the world. An important aspect of the biology of sea turtles is the study of colonizing fauna, i.e., their epibiota. The aim of this study is a taxonomic determination on the epibiota found on 4 hawksbills turtles stranded in 2009 and 2011 on the coast of Rocha Department, Uruguay. The epibiota was composed by algae from the class Phaeophyceae (Sphacelaria sp. and Hincksia mitchelliae) and invertebrates from the classes Cirripedia (Platylepas hexastylos, Chelonibia testudinaria and Amphibalanus improvisus) and Hirudinea (Ozobranchus margoi), with greater predominance of P. hexastylos cirripeds (n= 365…
Epibiontes en juveniles de tortugas carey Eretmochelys imbricata varadas en la costa del Departamento de Rocha, Uruguay
The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is the most threatened sea turtle species in the world. An important aspect of the biology of sea turtles is the study of colonizing fauna, i.e., their epibiota. The aim of this study is a taxonomic determination on the epibiota found on 4 hawksbills turtles stranded in 2009 and 2011 on the coast of Rocha Department, Uruguay. The epibiota was composed by algae from the class Phaeophyceae (Sphacelaria sp. and Hincksia mitchelliae) and invertebrates from the classes Cirripedia (Platylepas hexastylos, Chelonibia testudinaria and Amphibalanus improvisus) and Hirudinea (Ozobranchus margoi), with greater predominance of P. hexastylos cirripeds (n= 365…
New records of Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Testudines, Cheloniidae) provide evidence that Uruguayan waters are the southernmost limit of distribution for the species in the western Atlantic Ocean
We report 8 new records of Lepidochelys olivacea marine turtle in the Uruguayan waters, indicating this area as the southernmost limit of distribution for this species in the western Atlantic Ocean. In addition, 1 specimen was subjected to genetic analysis, revealing its population origin in the western Atlantic nesting colonies (Surinam, French Guiana, and Brazil). This report represents an update of the distribution of L. olivacea in the southwestern Atlantic and provides insight into the morphological and genetic characterization of the species at temperate waters.