Body weight and the energy budget of gravid hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) during the nesting season

Abstract

Female hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting along the southeast coastline of Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil (6º13'40"S, 35º03'05"W) were captured and weighed during the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 egg-laying seasons. The mean value for the first post-oviposition weight was 79.6 kg (range 56.2 – 105.7 kg; SD = 11.3 kg; n = 72 females). Those individuals which were subsequently recaptured showed a mean weight loss of 1.6 kg (range -3.7 – 5.1; SD = 1.43; n = 75 sets of measurements on 36 females) in the interval between two consecutive post-oviposition (i.e. after one internidal interval).