First Evidence that Hatchlings of Chelonia mydas Emit Sounds

Hatchling green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were recorded emitting sounds at Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, on 19 May 1978. Analysis revealed that the 70 sounds recorded could be separated into four sound categories. The sounds were complex and characteristic of a contact call, and were simila...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Copeia
Main Authors: Ferrara, Camila Rudge, Mortimer, Jeanne A., Vogt, Richard Carl
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copeia 2014
Subjects:
Bioacoustics
Crab
Egg
Hatching
Sound Propagation
Turtle
Vocalization
Young Population
Ascension Island
Chelonia Mydas
Ocypode
Ocypodidae
Testudines
South Atlantic Ocean
Online Access:https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17607
https://doi.org/10.1643/CE-13-087
Description
Summary:Hatchling green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were recorded emitting sounds at Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, on 19 May 1978. Analysis revealed that the 70 sounds recorded could be separated into four sound categories. The sounds were complex and characteristic of a contact call, and were similar to those recently reported in other species of aquatic turtles. The relationship between the structure and frequency of the sounds and levels of predation on turtle eggs and hatchlings, especially by ghost crabs (Ocypode spp.), warrants further study. © 2014 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.

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