%0 Journal Article
%T Diel movements and activity ranges of Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) at a temperate foraging area in the Gulf of California, Mexico
%A Jeffrey Seminoff
%A T. Todd Jones
%J Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%D 2006
%I Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%X .¡ªWe examined the daily movements and activity ranges of Green Turtles at a neritic foraging area of Bahia de losAngeles in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Six turtles, ranging from 50.9 to 82.5 cm in straight carapace length were trackedwith radio and acoustic telemetry for 24-h periods. Diel vagility ranged from 4.26 km to 15.34 km (mean = 8.21 ¡À 1.61 km),with minimum travel speeds of 0.18¨C0.64 km h-1. Short-term (24-h) activity ranges were from 70 ha to 1,252 ha (mean = 458¡À 202 ha). As the first study to establish diel vagility of green sea turtles in foraging areas of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, ourdata show that Green Turtles may traverse large distances over limited temporal durations while resident at coastal foragingareas and may visit multiple habitats. Conservation efforts aimed to reduce the illegal hunting and incidental fisheriesbycatch of Green Turtles assembled at this coastal foraging area must therefore encompass the entire coastal ecosystemrather than simply target a few component habitats within the area.
%K Herpetological Conservation and Biology
%U http://www.herpconbio.org/volume_1/issue_2/Seminoff_Jones_2006.pdf