ESR 4:85-94 (2008)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00044

ABSTRACT: Detailed post-breeding movement data is presented for hawksbill turtles tracked by satellite telemetry from Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Seven nesting females and 8 breeding males were tracked. Females traveled for 3 to 53 d to reach their foraging grounds, swimming distances of 84 to 2051 km (mean 867 km, n = 7) at average speeds of 23.5 to 38.7 km d^–1 (n = 7). Males traveled for <1 to 22 d, covering distances of <2 to 476 km (mean 101 km, n = 8) at average speeds of 13.0 to 24.7 km d^–1 (n = 5). One of the tracked males remained at the Mona Island breeding grounds for 11 mo before being recaptured there. The migration of 2 other male hawksbill turtles returning to Mona Island the following year from their foraging grounds was also documented. Descriptions of the foraging habitats used by these adult turtles are provided. The significant differences observed in migratory range between males and females are interpreted in an evolutionary context of food abundance predictability; an alternative hypothesis of geographic variation in mortality rates is also considered.

KEY WORDS: Hawksbill turtle · Eretmochelys imbricata · Migration · Mona Island · Puerto Rico