Estimation of age at maturity of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the Mediterranean using length-frequency data

Hearing capabilities of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) throughout ontogeny.

Two cases of pseudohermaphroditism in loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta.

Two juvenile (curved carapace lengths: 28 and 30 cm) loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta with precocious male external characteristics were admitted to the ARCA del Mar rescue area at the Oceanogràfic Aquarium in Valencia, Spain, in 2009 and 2010. Routine internal laparoscopic examination and subsequent histopathology confirmed the presence of apparently healthy internal female gonads in bot...

Ovarian Dynamics in Free-Ranging Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta)

Vitellogenin (VTG) is an egg yolk-precursor protein that serves as a nutrient source for developing embryos in oviparous vertebrates. The hormonal control of this protein has been studied in a variety of taxa, but details about the dynamics of this protein remain to be elucidated in sea turtle species. To investigate the dynamics of VTG in a multi-clutch species under natural conditions, 38 adu...

Interaction between loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and marine litter in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea).

Anthropogenic debris in the environment affects many species that accidentally ingest it. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quantity and composition of marine litter ingested by loggerheads in Sardinia, thus supplying for the lack of data in the existing literature for this area. Seventeen of the 121 (14.04%) monitored turtles presented debris in their digestive tracts. Litter in faecal ...

Age Determination of Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta, by Incremental Growth Marks in the Skeleton

Zug, George R., Addison H. Wynn, and Carol Ruckdeschel. Age Determination of Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta, by Incremental Growth Marks in the Skeleton. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, number 427, 34 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables, 1 appendix, 1986.—Periosteal growth in the skeleton of Caretta caretta is cyclic and produces a record of distinct bony layers (growth marks). These laye...