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Observations of the Turtles in the Akumal Region
by Sheldon I. Aptekar.
August 4 – 14 2003
This year the observer was located on Xpu Ha Beach and had limited time in Akumal Bay.
No turtles were observed in their natural habitat in Xpu Ha, Paa Mul, Tankah IV, or Xcacel Beach. Protected nests were seen on Xcacel, Akumal, and unprotected on Tankah III Beach.
Meetings were held with Alejandro Arenas at the Xcaret turtle research facility (several photographs were taken of the turtles soon to be released [see attached]) and at the protected nests on Xcacel Beach. Mr. Arenas provided the attached updated Living Tag Chart so the turtles from 2002 could be accurately identified. He explained that a proportion of the young turtles as they mature in the Xcaret holding tanks lose their living tags. This factor may invalidate the observed turtle behavior described in previous years. It seems that both tagged and those once tagged may have been observed next to each other after release. In other words, those tagged turtles and therefore man-touched turtles swimming with wild turtles, may not have been an accurate picture. All the turtles observed may have been touched by human hands, but some may have lost their Living Tags.
Meetings were also held at the Centro Ecologico Akumal first with Kate Robinhawk, Communications Director and then with Rogelio Villaviccencio, Director of the CEA Turtle Research Project. Mr. Villaviccencio indicated that he was using the turtle images from 2002 to determine how long the young turtles stay near their nesting area. According to Villaviccencio several of the larger turtles observed last year were sighted in late September and early October and have not been seen since in the Bay.
11 August 2003 one turtle was observed in Akumal Bay. The location of the observation was directly out from Lol Ha Restaurant, past the catamarans northwest of the deep water cut. The weather was sunny and clear with some underwater light distortion as it was midday. The depth of the bay during most of the observation was about 12 feet.
This turtle was the three-limbed turtle observed last year in the late afternoon and I was unable to photograph due to poor light conditions. This turtle, about 20” carapace, is missing the major part of its front left flipper. It has a piece of carapace missing from the outer scuts R 4 & 5 near R3.
The following four images were recorded toward the end of the observation period 11:45 A.M. to 1:10P.M.
#1, 12:42 PM #2, 12: 43 PM
#3, 12:45 PM #4, 12.46 PM
During the observation the turtle‘s movements were jerky, tilting from left to right in order to keep balance and probably due to the single front flipper. The turtle did move quicker and appeared to be more nervous than others of its same size. This turtle did not graze in one meadow but rapidly selected blades of wide turtle grass as it moved about what seemed to be choice meadows. The behavior, except as noted, appeared to be identical to other turtles observed. The turtle’s biting off selected stalks of grass, its chewing, surfacing for air, evasive return to eating and curiosity all seemed to be normal. In image number 4 the front left stub of the flipper is visible and during the observation tissue movement was evident across the width of the flipper. It appeared that this movement was coordinated to the movement of the front right flipper.
CHART OF THE LIVING TAG MARKS PROVIDED BY ALEJANDRO ARENAS
LOGGER HEAD GREEN
TURTLES IN HOLDING TANKS AT XCARET TO BE RELEASED
Photographed 07 August 2003
Note each of these images shows turtles with and without the Living Tag even though when hatched all were tagged.
There are isolated holding tanks with sick turtles and those that need special care like these Siamese turtles.
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