Reproductive biology of the Hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, with notes on the ecology of the species in the caribbean

摘要: Abstract From 1955 through 1983, 246 hawksbills Eretmochelys imbricata have been tagged as they came ashore to nest at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, a beach share with large colony of green turtles Chelonia mydas . Nesting average 82 cm in straight carapace length and grow mean rate 0·3 year −1 Mean clutch size is 158 eggs; poorly correlated female body size. Average time from egg deposition hatching emergence 58·5 days. success ff hatchling 58·3% all clutches 91·6% that produced hatchlings. The internesting interval averaged between 16 17 Site-fixity females both within seasons was examined; greater degree site-fixity exhibited than within. distribution hawksbill nesting activity Tortuguero spatially similar to, but temporally different from, the turtle. There increasing evidence tag returns may also feeding grounds turtle Miskito Cays, Nicaragua. Notes on movements habits juveniles their are included. Following decline 1956, there has no consistent trend number since 1972. However, shown steady decline, suggesting population not demographically stable. stability an entire cannot be determined monitoring each year.