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April Stevens In April 2006, April Stevens (an honours student at Charles Darwin University) presented her research at the 26th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Conservation and Biology on Crete, Greece. Abstract: Incubation duration, hatching success and emergence success of over 150 natural flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus, Garman) nests were investigated on Bare Sand Island (50 km due west of Darwin, NT, Australia). The 1.8 km of beach on the island was divided into unequal sectors giving eight locations where turtles could nest. Nest position on the beach was identified as one of three habitats from the high-water mark to the top of the dune. Clutches laid during a 5 week period from June 10 to July 17, 2005 were monitored throughout incubation to determine whether hatching and emergence success were affected by nest location and habitat. During this period sand temperature at nest depth (50 cm) ranged from a minimum of 24.19 degrees Celsius to a maximum of 35.68 degrees Celsius with a max. daily variation of 0.37 degrees. Incubation duration (mean=50 days, n=92) was affected by beach locality (p=0.029) but not by habitat. Overall, hatching success and emergence success were normal compared to other beaches with means of 82.5% and 78.9% respectively. Reported loss of eggs due to depredation amounted to 7% with roots of the creeper Ipomea pescaprea responsible for 65% of this loss. Grant amount: $250
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