Nesting activities of Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on the beaches of Zabargad Island, southern Egyptian Red Sea

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Nesting of the green turtles Chelonia mydas on the most valuable nesting of Zabaragad Island beaches were studied during the period between 2009 and 2014. On annual basis, and during the peak of the nesting season (mid of July), the nesting beaches on Zabargad Island were surveyed to estimate dimensions of female tracks, nests and female sizes and numbers of female tracks and true and false nests per night. Based on the model (software R) created by Girondot et al. (2012), the total numbers of tracks per season were estimated , consequently total numbers of tracks, false and true nests, and total numbers of nested females per nesting season were calculated annually. It was obvious that there is a clear trend of steadily increasing of green turtle nesting activities on the island during the study period. The numbers of female emergences per night have been estimated as 16.7, 11.3, 12.7, 17.0 and 22.7, in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Same trend was noticed for counts of true nests, being 1.7, 1.3, 3.4, 3.0 and 10 nest/night and total calculated annual tracks, being 1222.4, 790.3, 989.24, 2141.3, and 1851.8 tracks, respectively. In total, the total estimates of nested females on Zabaraged Island ranged between 37 and 326 females per year during the study period between 2009 and 2014.
 

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