Villanueva-Mayor, Violeta

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Orientation of leatherback turtle hatchlings, Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1961), at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, US Virgin Islands
(2003) Villanueva-Mayor, Violeta; Alfaro, Mónica; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; González Lagoa, Juan G.; Lewis, Allen R.; Department of Biology; Alston, Dallas E.
Leatherback hatchling orientation was assessed for the first time at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge (SPNWR), US Virgin Islands. The median angle and range of tracks, moon condition, and date were recorded shortly after hatchling emergences. Experiments recording individual crawl-directions were also conducted during no moon and full moon conditions. Data were analyzed using circular statistical procedures with a significance level of 0.05. When the moon was not visible, hatchling dispersion was significantly wider throughout the entire beach. Furthermore, where lights were directly visible, hatchlings significantly deviated from a straight path to the sea toward those lights. Consequently, hatchlings were exposed to additional predation and used up energy needed for their offshore migrations. The critical times for orientation disruption were given for a lunar month and critical areas for hatchling management were identified. A comprehensive light-management strategy was recommended.