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Spatiotemporal preferences in nesting of the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in Melaka, Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2017

Sarahaizad Mohd Salleh ,
Hideaki Nishizawa ,
Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah  and
Mohd Fardianshah Safri
Sarahaizad Mohd Salleh*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia Center for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia Department of Marine Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
Hideaki Nishizawa
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia Center for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia
Mohd Fardianshah Safri
Affiliation:
Melaka Department of Fisheries, 75350, Batu Berendam, Melaka, Malaysia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: S. Mohd Salleh, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia email: sarahaizad.mohd.salleh@gmail.com
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Abstract

Nesting of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) was monitored in 2013 and 2014 at 20 nesting beaches along the shores of Melaka, Peninsular Malaysia. Total nest numbers found were 481 and 463 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The mean clutch size in 2013 of 123.5 ± 32.3 (SD) was similar to that in 2014 (118.5 ± 39.7). The distributions of nests were not uniform among the 20 beaches, and a large number of nests were found in Padang Kemunting, Kem Terendak, and Pulau Upeh, where the beaches were not always long. The nest sites indicated that the hawksbill turtle preferred to build its nest within the woody vegetation zone. The preferred vegetation species was Scaevola taccada. The temporal nesting pattern was year-round in both years, but the peak nesting season was between May and August, in the south-west monsoon season, possibly due to the gentle winds during this period. The turtles tended to nest between 22:01 and 24:00 h. This study provides basic information about hawksbill turtle nesting and insights into their spatial and temporal nesting preferences, which will contribute towards the conservation of this endangered species.

Keywords

Clutch sizeemergencenest site selectionseasonalityvegetation
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 98 , Special Issue 8: Special Section: European Marine Biology Symposium Papers 2018 , December 2018 , pp. 2145 - 2152
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2017 

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