Çetin Ilgaz a & İbrahim Baran a a Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Buca Eğitim Fakültesi,

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3 Reproduction biology of the marine turtle populations in Northern Karpaz (Cyprus) and Dalyan (Turkey) by Çetin Ilgaz and brahim Baran Abstract. The reproduction biology of Green Turtles, Chelonia mydas, and Loggerhead Turtles, Caretta caretta, was studied at Northern Karpaz, northern Cyprus, and Dalyan, Turkey, in A total of 22 C. mydas and 7 C. caretta nests were recorded at Northern Karpaz in 1996, and 135 Loggerhead Turtle nests at Dalyan in The Green Turtle nesting density was 9.2 nests/km, the Loggerhead Turtle density 2.9 nests/km at Northern Karpaz and 28.7 nests/km at Dalyan. For Green Turtles, 78.9% of the hatchlings were able to reach the sea. The corresponding values for Loggerheads are 55.5% at Northern Karpaz and 87.1% for Dalyan. The mean incubation period for C. mydas was 58.0 days at Northern Karpaz and for C. caretta this period was 52.4 days on Dalyan Beach. Nests which were threatened by the tide or human activities were transplanted to safe areas of the beach. The hatching success of transplanted nests (72.8%) was significantly higher than nests left under natural conditions (55%). Kurzfassung. Die Fortpflanzungsbiologie der Suppenschildkröte, Chelonia mydas, und der Unechten Karettschildkröte, Caretta caretta, wurde 1996 und 1997 in Nord-Karpaz im nördlichen Zypern, und in Dalyan, Türkei, vergleichend untersucht. Insgesamt wurden 1996 in Nord-Karpaz 22 Nester von C. mydas und 7 von C. caretta gezählt, und von C. caretta in Dalyan. Die Nestdichte der Suppenschildkröte betrug 9,2 Nester/km, die der Unechten Karettschildkröte in Nord-Karpaz 2,9 Nester/km und in Dalyan 28,7 Nester/km. 78.9% der Schlüpflinge der Suppenschildkröte konnten das Meer erreichen. Der entsprechende Wert für die Unechte Karettschildkröte betrug 55,5% in Nord-Karpaz and 87,1% in Dalyan. Die durchschnittliche Dauer des Eistadiums betrug für C. mydas in Nord-Karpaz 58,0 Tage und für C. caretta in Dalyan 52,4 Tage. Nester, die durch die Gezeiten oder durch menschliche Störungen gefährdet waren, wurden an sichere Stellen des Strandes versetzt. Der Schlüpferfolg der transplantierten Nester war mit 72.8% signifikant höher als unter natürlichen Bedingungen (55%). Key words. Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Northern Karpaz, Dalyan, Mediterranean Sea. Introduction In the Mediterranean, the major nesting grounds for Loggerhead Turtles, Caretta caretta, are Turkey and Greece (BARAN & KASPAREK 1989, MARGARITOULIS 2000) with smaller numbers recorded in Cyprus (BRODERICK & GODLEY 1996, DEMETROPOULOS & HADJICHRISTO- PHOROU 1985), Egypt (KASPAREK 1993), Libya (LAURENT et al. 1995), Tunisia (LAURENT et al. 1990), Israel (KULLER 1999), and Syria (KASPAREK 1995). The distribution of the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, nesting is much more localised, the only substantial nesting areas being Turkey and Cyprus (KASPAREK et al. 2001). To compare the nesting biology of marine turtles in Cyprus and the Turkish mainland, two beaches were selected: the Northern Karpaz Beach on the north-east coast of Cyprus, and Dalyan in the western Mediterranean Region of Turkey. In northern Cyprus, the first systematic survey of marine turtles was carried out in 1988 (GROOMBRIDGE 1990), and since Zoology in the Middle East 24, 2001: ISSN Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg

4 36 Zoology in the Middle East 24, , the turtle populations have been monitored annually (BRODERICK & GODLEY 1996, GODLEY, pers. comm.). Both C. caretta and C. mydas nest at Northern Karpaz. The Dalyan Beach is the westernmost nesting beach of Loggerhead Turtles in Turkey and is one of the most important sites for this species in Turkey (BARAN & KASPAREK 1989). This beach is among the first three areas designated as a Specially Protected Area within the framework of the Barcelona Convention of To plan the protection of the sea turtle populations on Northern Karpaz and Dalyan Beaches and to close the gap in our knowledge about these sea turtle populations, Northern Karpaz and Dalyan Beaches were studied throughout the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons. Material and methods Study area The Northern Karpaz Beach is situated in the Dipkarpaz-Specially Protected Area and consists of seven small beach subsections with a total length of 2.4 km. The length of beach suitable for nesting is 1.6 km and the length of the rocky areas that divide the nesting zones from each other totals 800 m. Beach width varies between 5 and 45 m. The Dalyan Beach consists of two parts: ztuzu beach and a small separate beach to its southwest. The total length of the beach is approximately 4.7 km. The eastern border of ztuzu Beach is formed by a forest-covered hill and the western border by the outlet of a wetland into the sea. A labyrinth-like freshwater lagoon system that is connected with Köyce iz Lake is located in the hinterland of the beach. The salty ztuzu Lake is located to the rear of the east side of the beach. Beach width varies from 75 to 200 m. The small beach situated at the south-western part of the connection of the wetland to the sea is 450 m long, and its width varies from 30 m to 100 m. Methods In 1996, Northern Karpaz was continuously studied from 1 June to 15 September. The study at Dalyan Beach was conducted in 1997 between 24 May and 17 September. Night and morning patrols were carried out by three groups consisting of 2-3 persons each, depending on the number of personnel available. After the sea turtles had completed their egg-laying, body measurements were taken and the turtles were tagged with monel tags on the right front flipper. When the opportunity arose to observe turtles without disturbing them, eggs were counted during the laying phase. During morning patrols, the shape and pattern of tracks were noted. Nest locations were confirmed by carefully probing with a metal rod, and they were then marked. In cases of partial animal predation, the nest chamber and the surrounding area were cleared of egg shells and then completely covered with moist sand up to the original level. Care was taken not to move intact eggs still in the egg chamber. For all natural nests, where pressure from land predators such as foxes and dogs was severe, protective metal gratings (72 x 72 cm) were placed over the nests at the centre of the egg chamber. During the hatchling emergence season, the number of hatchling tracks coming from each nests was counted, and by following them, the number of hatchlings reaching the sea was determined. When tracks were interrupted by predator tracks (foxes, dogs, birds, crabs), we assumed that the hatchlings were taken by those predators. After 8 or 10 days from the first emergence of hatchlings, nests were opened and checked. The numbers of retained hatchlings, empty egg shells, unfertilised eggs and developmentally delayed eggs were counted and the total number of eggs in the clutch determined. Some nests thought to be threatened by tidal inundation or human activities were transplanted to safe areas on the beach. This occurred within the first 24 hours after egg deposition.

5 Marine turtles 37 Fig.1. Nest distribution of Loggerhead Turtles, Caretta caretta, at the beach of Dalyan in Results and discussion Population size and nest distribution. At Northern Karpaz, 29 turtle nests were recorded; 22 of these belonged to C. mydas, the reminder (7) to C. caretta. Nests were not equally distributed over the beach: the highest nesting activity occurred in beach section no. 6 with 11 nests (37.9%). The mean distance of C. mydas nests from the water line was 18.7 m. ( m), whereas the C. caretta nests averaged 15.1 m ( m). 135 nests were counted at Dalyan. The nests showed distinct concentrations along the beach (Fig. 1). The small beach section is very important for marine turtles: although its length is only 1/10 of ztuzu Beach, almost 1/3 of all nests were found there (35 nests compared to 100 nests on ztuzu Beach). The mean distance of nests from the water line was 22.8 m ( m). Using the assumption that each female nests on average three times in a season every 2 3 years (GROOMBRIDGE 1990), approximately 7 Green Turtles and 2 Loggerheads nest at Northern Karpaz, and 45 Loggerheads at Dalyan. Taking the entire Mediterranean population as C. mydas and 2000 C. caretta females (GROOMBRIDGE 1990), the Green Turtle females nesting at Northern Karpaz constitute % of the Mediterranean population while the Loggerhead Turtles constitute 0.1%. This percentage is 2.2% for Dalyan. Although Northern Karpaz and Dalyan thus hold relatively small proportions of the Mediterranean population, both areas have nevertheless high conservation priorities due to the small size of the Mediterranean populations in absolute terms. Although the first subsection of Northern Karpaz Beach was suitable for nesting, the lowest nesting occurred in this section due to light pollution from stone mining in the northernmost part. Some local people use the beach as a picnic site at weekends and also enter the beach on tractors. Cows and sheep can also be seen grazing on the beach. Tourism is at a relatively low level. At Dalyan, the lowest nesting occurred in front of the buffets situated at the northernmost and southernmost ends of the beach. Low density illumination and noise may have influenced nesting density. Furthermore, hatchlings were crushed in the nests at these subsections of beach due to compaction of the sand from tourist activities during the daytime.

6 38 Zoology in the Middle East 24, 2001 Fig. 2. Nesting beach of Dalyan, Turkey. View from the south to the north, with Lake Iztuzu (photograph: Max KASPAREK). Seasonal distribution. The earliest emergence of C. mydas was observed at Northern Karpaz on , and the peak was reached in early July. For C. caretta, the first emergence was noted at Northern Karpaz on , and Dalyan on At Dalyan, a peak was reached in early June, but nesting occurred at a high level until early July. At Northern Karpaz, there was no clear peak nesting season, with high-level nesting occurring between early June and mid-july. The seasonal distribution of nesting and non-nesting emergences is given in Figs. 2 and 3 4. There is thus a clear indication that Green Turtles reach a nesting peak later than Loggerhead Turtles. However, no clear differences were found between Loggerhead Turtles in Cyprus and Dalyan. It should be borne in mind, that the number of Loggerhead Turtles nests examined at Northern Karpaz was not large enough for slight differences to be detected.

7 Marine turtles Nests/non-nesting emergences Nests Non-nesting emergences Fig. 2. Seasonal distribution of nesting and non-nesting emergences of Chelonia mydas on Northern Karpaz Beach, Nesting proportion. From 121 C. mydas emergences that were recorded at Northern Karpaz, 22 (18.2%) resulted in nests; for C. caretta, the corresponding values were 7 (19.4%) out of 36 emergences at Northern Karpaz, and 135 (36.4%) out of 371 emergences at Dalyan. DURMU (1998) gave the nesting percentage for C. mydas at Kazanl and Samanda as 40.0% and 34.4%, respectively. The nesting percentage at various C. caretta nesting beaches of Turkey have been reported as 26.4% at Fethiye (TÜRKOZAN 2000), 48.5% at K z lot (KASKA 1993), 23.6% in the Göksu Delta (PIGGELEN & STRIJBOSCH 1993) and 28.9% at Patara (CANBOLAT 1996). Nest density. The nest density of C. mydas at Northern Karpaz was 9.2 nests/km. DURMU (1998) recorded 49.0 nests/km at Kazanl and 9.7 nests/km at Samanda, and YERLI & DEMIRAYAK (1996) gave a nesting density of 9.0 nests/km for Akyatan. For C. caretta, the nesting density was 2.9 nests/km at Northern Karpaz and 28.7 nests/km at Dalyan. Previous reports at Dalyan in different seasons were 34.8 nests/km (CANBOLAT 1991), 51.6 nests/km (CANBOLAT 1996) and 22.8 nests/km (BARAN et al. 1996). The nesting density for C. caretta elsewhere in Turkey was reported as 15.5 nests/km in Fethiye (TÜRKOZAN 2000), 3.7 nests/km in the Göksu Delta (PIGGELEN & STRIJBOSCH 1993), and 7.4 nests/km in Patara (TA KIN 1998). Nesting density in Greece was found to be nests/km at Laganas Bay, 12.8 nests/km at Kyparissia Bay, 36.6 nests/km in Rethymnon (Crete), 7.3 nests/km at Laganas Bay, and 8.9 nests/km at Chania Bay (MARGARITOULIS 2000). In Israel, 1.0 nests/km were found by SILBERSTEIN & DMIEL (1991). Clutch size. The mean number of eggs per clutch at Northern Karpaz was (64 177, n = 22) for C. mydas, and 74.7 (57 127, n = 7) for C. caretta. At Dalyan, the mean number of eggs was 81.0 (38 154). The overall nest depth of C. caretta at Dalyan averaged 51.4 cm (42 59 cm) and the diameter 20.9 cm (15 27 cm).

8 40 Zoology in the Middle East 24, Nests/Non-nesting emergences Nests/Non-nesting emergences Nests Non-nesting emergences Fig. 3. Seasonal distribution of nesting and non-nesting emergences of Caretta caretta on Northern Karpaz Beach, Nests Non-nesting emergences Fig. 4. Seasonal distribution of nesting and non-nesting emergences of Caretta caretta at Dalyan Beach, BRODERICK & GODLEY (1996) gave the mean number of C. mydas eggs as for the whole of northern Cyprus. For C. caretta, an average clutch size of 70.0 was found in northern Cyprus (BRODERICK & GODLEY 1996), 75.7 and 82.5 at Dalyan (CANBOLAT 1991, 1996), 82.0 in Israel (SILBERSTEIN & DMIEL 1991), in Greece (MARGARITOULIS 1989), 95.0 at Patara (BARAN et al. 1992), and 91.7 in the Göksu Delta (PETERS & VERHOEVEN 1992). The clutch size is thus well within the range known for the Mediterranean Sea, with Green Turtles having in general higher numbers of eggs than Loggerheads.

9 Marine turtles 41 Incubation period. The incubation period for C. mydas nests at Northern Karpaz averaged 57.9 (50 75) days in 16 nests. For C. caretta, the incubation period was on average 51.8 (45 59 days, n = 5) at Northern Karpaz and 52.4 days (39 75 days, n = 73) at Dalyan. BRODERICK & GODLEY (1996) had reported an incubation period for C. mydas of 51.1 days in northern Cyprus, GEROSA et al. (1995) 54.0 days at Akyatan, and DURMU (1998) 59.9 days at Samanda. For C. caretta, incubation periods of 47.9 days were found in northern Cyprus (BRODERICK & GODLEY 1996), 59.3 days at Dalyan (ERK AKAN 1993), 56.9 days at Fethiye (TÜRKOZAN & BARAN 1996), 57.0 days in the Göksu Delta (PIGGELEN & STRI- JBOSCH 1993), 55.5 days in Greece (MARGARITOULIS 1989), and 54.0 days in Israel (SILBER- STEIN & DMIEL 1991). The incubation period for both species lies thus within the range known for the Mediterranean population. Predation and hatching success. Of the 22 C. mydas nests at Northern Karpaz, three were partially and three completely predated. Of the 7 C. caretta nests, two were partially and one was completely destroyed. 16 of C. mydas nests (68.9%) and five (71.4%) of C. caretta nests produced hatchlings. At Dalyan, 30 (22.2%) of the 135 nests were predated. Of these 22 were completely destroyed. 113 (82.7%) nests produced hatchlings. 13.5% C. mydas eggs and 14.9% C. caretta eggs were destroyed at Northern Karpaz. Furthermore, 56 (3.7%) C. mydas hatchlings and 121 (40.2%) C. caretta hatchlings were injured. On Dalyan Beach, 2057 eggs (18.9%) and 154 hatchlings (2.6%) were predated. At both beaches, all predated eggs and hatchlings were killed by fox (Vulpes vulpes). Of the 10,903 Loggerhead Turtle eggs in 135 nests at Dalyan, 18.9% were predated, 18.0% were unfertilised, 8.0% had delayed development and 55.0% hatched. Of the hatchlings, 9.0% died or were predated on the beach, 90.6% reached the sea. The total number of hatchlings reaching the sea as a percentage of the total number of eggs was 49.9%. The total number of predated eggs as a percentage of the total number of eggs was recorded as 37% in Dalyan, Turkey (CANBOLAT 1996). TÜRKOZAN & BARAN (1996) gave this percentage as 6.9% in Fethiye, Turkey. The hatching success of C. mydas was determined as 57.5% on Northern Karpaz Beach. DURMU (1998) gave hatching successes for C. mydas in Kazanl and Samanda of 86.9%, and BRODERICK & GODLEY (1996) 80-85% for the whole of northern Cyprus. The hatching success of C. mydas at Karpaz is thus relatively low compared with other areas in Cyprus and the Turkish mainland. Four C. mydas nests were built close to the high-tide line, but could not be transplanted. A total of 310 eggs was therefore inundated by sea water in these nests. The number of inundated eggs in these nests as a percentage of the total number of eggs was 11.8%. The narrowness of Northern Karpaz was another feature adversely affecting hatching success. On Dalyan Beach, 8% of the total number of eggs was developmentally delayed, and this value was 16.6% for Caretta caretta and 15.4% for Chelonia mydas on Northern Karpaz Beach. For C. caretta, the hatching success was 57.5% on Northern Karpaz Beach and 55.0% at Dalyan. This relatively low hatching success corresponds with the earlier observations by CANBOLAT (1996) in Dalyan, who recorded 40.1%, and is at approximately the level found by PETERS & VERHOEVEN (1992) in the Göksu Delta (55.5%). BRODERICK & GODLEY (1996) gave the hatching success in northern Cyprus as 75 83%, MARGARITOULIS et al. (1994) found 73.4% at Kiparrisa Bay, Greece, and MARGARITOULIS & DIMOPOULOS (1994) 67.7% at Zakynthos. At the beginning of our study, the protective metal gratings could not be placed over the nests to prevent land predators. Consequently, 2057 eggs (18.9%) were predated by fox predation.

10 42 Zoology in the Middle East 24, 2001 Tab. 1. Hatching success and survival of marine turtles at Northern Karpaz and Dalyan beaches. Northern Karpaz Beach Dalyan Beach Chelonia mydas Caretta caretta Caretta caretta n (%) n (%) n (%) Number of nests Total number of eggs Predator destruction Spoiled or unfertilised eggs Undeveloped (embryos) Total hatchlings Died or predated hatchlings Hatchlings reaching the sea Tab. 2. The numbers of nests, eggs and hatchlings by year on Dalyan Beach : CAN- BOLAT (1996), 1996: BARAN et al. (1996), 1997: this study. year no. of nests mean no. of eggs no. of nests from which hatchling emerged no. of hatchlings reaching the sea (59.5%) 7257 (39.3%) (60.3%) 5218 (34.5%) (69.5%) 7338 (45.2%) (76.6%) 3473 (53.9%) (83.7%) 5275 (48.4%) The main factor impacting on eggs and hatchlings at Northern Karpaz is fox predation. 354 Green Turtle eggs and 78 Loggerhead eggs were destroyed by fox, and 56 Green Turtle hatchlings and 121 Loggerhead hatchlings were predated by fox. At Dalyan, metal gratings were placed on the nests to prevent the fox predation. These cages were buried approximately 20 cm under the surface, and considerable reduced fox predation; nevertheless, 30 nests were still damaged by fox and 22 of these were completely predated. This factor removed 2057 eggs (18.9%). Furthermore, fox predation damaged 154 hatchlings (2.6%). At Northern Karpaz, local people sometimes removed the cages and left the nests defenceless. Another problem is caused by local people driving tractors on to the beach and removing sand from the beach. Sand excavation dimishes the number of suitable places for nesting along this narrow beach. In Cyprus, the narrowness of Northern Karpaz Beach is in itself a negative factor. When adults built their nest close to the sea, the nests can be flooded. Four nests were flooded and 311 eggs were spoilt. Nest transplantation. 26 nests with a total of 2263 eggs, which were threatened by tide or human pressure were transplanted to safe parts of the beach. The hatching success there was 72.8% (1647 hatchlings). Of these 1581 (96.0%) hatchlings reached the sea. The hatching success of transplanted nests (72.8%) was significantly higher than under natural conditions

11 Marine turtles 43 (55%). TÜRKOZAN (2000) gave the hatching success of transplanted nests in Fethiye, Turkey, and K z lot, Turkey, as 67.5% whereas MARGARITOULIS (1988) gave a percentage of 67.7 % for C. caretta at Kyparrisia Bay, Greece. Consequently, nest transplantation can be used as a conservation tool for the breeding success of sea turtles. Acknowledgements. We would like to thank to Dr. Michael Stackowich for improvements to the English text prior to publication. We are grateful for the editorial advice of Dr. Max KASPAREK. We also are indebted to Dr. O uz TÜRKOZAN for his valuable comment. References BARAN,. & M. KASPAREK (1989): Marine Turtles Turkey: Status survey 1988 and recommendations for conservation and management. World Wide Fund for Nature. Heidelberg, 122 pp. BARAN,., S. H. DURMU, E. ÇEVIK, S. ÜÇÜNCÜ & A. F. CANBOLAT (1992): Türkiye Deniz Kaplumba alar Stok Tesbiti. Do a, Turkish Journal of Zoology 16: , Ankara. BARAN,., O. TÜRKOZAN, Y. KASKA, Ç. ILGAZ & S. SAK (1996): Research on the marine turtle populations of Dalyan, Fethiye, Patara and Belek beaches. Final report submitted to Environmental Ministry of Turkey, 44 pp. BRODERICK, A. C. & B. J. GODLEY (1994): Marine Turtles in Northern Cyprus. Results from Glasgow University Expeditions Marine Turtle Newsletter 67: 11, Toronto. BRODERICK, A. C. & B. J. GODLEY (1996): Population and Nesting Ecology of the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, and the Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, in Northern Cyprus. Zoology in the Middle East 13: 27-46, Heidelberg. CANBOLAT, A. F. (1991): Dalyan Kumsal (Mu la, Türkiye) nda Caretta caretta Populasyonu Üzerinde ncelemeler. Do a Turkish Journal of Zoology 4: , Ankara. CANBOLAT, A. F. (1996): Dalyan ve Patara Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) Deniz Kaplumba- as Populasyonlar n n Biyolojisi. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstütüsü, Doktora Tezi. DEMETROPOULOS, A. & M. HADJICHRISTOPHORUS (1989): Sea Turtle Conservation in Cyprus. Marine Turtle Newsletter 44: 4 6, Toronto. DURMU, S. H. (1998): An Investigation on Biology and Ecology of the Sea Turtle Population on Kazanl and Samanda Beaches. Dokuz Eylül University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, PhD thesis. ERK AKAN, F. (1993): Nesting Biology of Loggerhead Turtles, Caretta caretta L. on Dalyan Beach, Mu la Trkey. Biological Conservation 64: 1 4, Barking. GEROSA, G., P. CASALE & S. V. YERLI (1995): Report on a Sea Turtle Nesting Beach Study (Akyatan, Turkey), Chelonian Marine Turtle Conservation and Research Program (Tethys Research Institute) Rome, 27 pp. GROOMBRIDGE, B. (1990): Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean: Distribution, Population Status. Conservation. Nature and Environment Series 48: 1 98, Strasbourg. KASKA, Y. (1992): K z lot ve Patara Caretta caretta Populasyonunun Ara t r lmas. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Yüksek Lisans Tezi. KASPAREK, M. (1993): Survey of the Mediterranean Coast between Alexandria and El-Salum, Egypt. Marine Turtle Newsletter 63: 8 9, Toronto. KASPAREK, M. (1995): Nesting of marine turtles on the coast of Syria. Zoology in the Middle East 11: 51 62, Heidelberg.

12 44 Zoology in the Middle East 24, 2001 KASPAREK, M., B. J. GODLEY & A. C. BRODERICK (2001): Nesting of the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, in the Mediterranean Sea: a review of status and conservation needs. Zoology in the Middle East 24: 45 74, Heidelberg. KULLER, Z. (1999): Current status and conservation of marine turtles on the Mediterranean coast for Israel. Marine Turtle Newsletter 86: 3 5, Toronto. LAURENT, L., S. NAVIRA, D. J. GRISSAC, M. N. BRADAI (1990): Les tortues marines des Tunisie: Premieres donnees. Bulletin de la Societe Herpetologique de France 53: LAURENT, L., M. N. BRADAI, D. A. HADOUD, H. M. GOMATI (1995): Marine turtle nesting activity assessment on Libyan coast. Phase I: Survey of the coast between Egyptian border and Sirte. RAC/SPA (MAP-UNEP), Tunis. MARGARITOULIS, D. (1988): Nesting of the loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta on the shores of Kiparrissia Bay, Greece in Mesogae 48: MARGARITOULIS, D. (1989): Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting, Kiparrissia Bay, Greece. Marine Turtle Newsletter 53: 17 18, Toronto. MARGARITOULIS, D. & D. DIMOPOULUS (1994): The Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta on Zakynthos. Population Status on Conservation Efforts during Unpublished report for Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Athens. MARGARITOULIS, D., C. KAPPA & K. TENEKETZIS (1994): Monitoring and conservation of the Caretta caretta populations nesting at Kiparrissia Bay and Lakonias Bay during Unpublished report for Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Athens. MARGARITOULIS, D. (2000): An estimation of the overall nesting activity of the loggerhead turtle in Greece. Proceedings of the 18 th International Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, PETERS, A. & K. J. F. VERHOEVEN (1992): Breeding Success of Loggerhead, Caretta caretta, and the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, in the Göksu Delta. Department of Animal Ecology, University of Nijmegen, Rapport No: 310. PIGGELEN, D. C. G. & H. STRIJBOSCH (1993): The Nesting of Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) in the Göksu Delta, Turkey, June-August Do a Turkish Journal of Zoology 17: , Ankara. SILBERSTEIN, D. & R. DMIEL (1991): Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting in Israel. Marine Turtle Newsletter 32: 6 8, Toronto. TA KIN, N. (1998): Patara Kumsal ndaki Deniz Kaplumba as Populasyonunun Embriyolojik Geli iminin ncelenmesi. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Yüksek Lisans Tezi. TÜRKOZAN, O. &. BARAN (1996): Nesting Activity of the Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, of Fethiye Beach. Turkish Journal of Zoology 20: , Ankara. TÜRKOZAN, O. (2000): Reproductive Ecology of the Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, on Fethiye and K z lot beaches, Turkey. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3 (4): YERLI, S. & F. DEMIRAYAK (1996): Türkiye deki deniz kaplumba alar ve üreme kumsallar üzerine bir de erlendirme. Istanbul, 129 pp. Authors address: Research Asistant Çetin Ilgaz and Prof. Dr. brahim Baran, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Buca E itim Fakültesi, Biyoloji Bölümü, Buca- zmir, Turkey. cetin.ilgaz@deu.edu.tr.