title: Long-term behavior at foraging sites of adult female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from three Florida rookeries.
abstract: We used satellite telemetry to study behavior at foraging sites of 40 adult female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from three Florida (USA) rookeries. Foraging sites were located in four countries (USA, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Cuba). We were able to determine home range for 32 of the loggerheads. One turtle moved through several temporary residence areas, but the rest had a primary residence area in which they spent all or most of their time (usually >11 months per year). Twenty-four had a primary residence area that was <500 km2(mean = 191). Seven had a primary residence area that was ≥500 km2(range = 573-1,907). Primary residence areas were mostly restricted to depths <100 m. Loggerheads appeared to favor areas with larger-grained sediment (gravel and rock) over areas with smaller-grained sediment (mud). Short-term departures from primary residence areas were either looping excursions, typically involving 1-2 weeks of continuous travel, or movement to a secondary residence area where turtles spent 25-45 days before returning to their primary residence area. Ten turtles had a secondary residence area, and six used it as an overwintering site. For those six turtles, the primary residence area was in shallow water (<17 m) in the northern half of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and overwintering sites were farther offshore or farther south. We documented long winter dive times (>4 h) for the first time in the GOM. Characterizing behaviors at foraging sites helps inform and assess loggerhead recovery efforts.
authors.affiliation: Jacksonville Field Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Jacksonville, FL 32218 USA.
authors.forename: Allen M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.affiliation: National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA.
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.affiliation: Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.affiliation: US Fish and Wildlife Service (retired), Jacksonville, FL 32256 USA.
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: MacPherson
authors.affiliation: National Park Service, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563 USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicholas