The degree of crowding and its effect on the nesting behavior in the green turtle Chelonia mydas in Oman

ALKINDI, A.Y.A.; MAHMOUD, I.Y.; AL-GHEILANI, H.M.H.; AL-HABSI, A.A.; ALKIYUMI, A.A.; KHAN, H.*: The degree of crowding and its effect on the nesting behavior in the green turtle Chelonia mydas in Oman.

The nesting behavior of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas was observed during high population density period (June-October) and low population density period (Nov-May) in Ras Al-Hadd, Sultanate of Oman. Oman hosts one of the largest nesting populations in the world. The degree of crowding during the nesting season reveal some information on the way the turtles “adjust” to the seasonal changes to some ecological factors such as the availability of nest sites, and the location of the nests relative to the tidal zone. During low density, the turtles tend to build their nest away from the tidal zone and the frequency of nesting near or inside the tidal zone is low. During high density, the frequency of choosing the nests near or inside the tidal zone increases significantly even when there is less crowding and more nesting areas are available in a giving night. Based on these conditions, we suggest that the turtles become aware of the crowding condition before they ascend on the beaches as they gather near the nesting grounds. The significant of such nesting strategy will be discussed.

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