title: An assessment of initial body size in loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchlings in Turkey.
abstract: Eggs, hatchlings, and adult loggerhead turtles, and incubation durations of clutches, were measured on three Turkish beaches (Dalyan, Fethiye and Göksu Delta), and some physical features of nests were compared. These features were not statistically different among the beaches, except for nest depth and distance to the high water mark. There was a positive relationship between hatchling mass and egg size. The carapace length of hatchlings was correlated with both egg diameter and incubation duration. The duration of asynchronous emergence of hatchlings on Fethiye beach was slightly longer than on the other two beaches, and the size of hatchlings decreased as asynchronous emergence proceeded. Of the hatchlings that emerged first, those that died were significantly smaller in SCL and mass than those that lived. These results suggest that smaller hatchlings may not be vigorous enough to emerge earlier from nests, and that they may be less fit.
authors.affiliation: Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education, Aydin, Turkey. ademozdemir@adu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Cetin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ilgaz
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kumlutaş
authors.forename: Salih Hakan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Durmuş
authors.forename: Yakup
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaska
authors.forename: Oğuz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Türkozan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D052284:Clutch Size; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D010058:Oviposition; D013534:Survival / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014421:Turkey; D014426:Turtles / Q000502:physiology*