LEATHERBACK SEA-TURTLE
(Dermochelys coriacea)
BODY MASS: 250-500 kg DEEPEST DIVE: 1300 m (REF 2)
BODY LENGTH: 124-256 cm LONGEST DIVE: 4938 s (REF 12)


SAINT CROIX (17°41'N - 64°54'W) TOP
1984: Day dive depth: avg= 122.1 ± 73m, max= 314m (N= female#1)
1984: Day dive duration: avg= 14.5 ± 5.2min, max= 2244s (N= female#1)
1984: Night dive depth: avg= 74.9 ± 57.2m, max= 210m (N= female#1)
1984: Night dive duration: avg= 12.4 ± 5.6min, max= 2226s (N= female#1)
1984: Day dive depth: avg= 84.3 ± 74.3m, max= 475m (N= female#2)
1984: Day dive duration: avg= 11.2 ± 4.2min, max= 1278s (N= female#2)
1984: Night dive depth: avg= 50.2 ± 44.7m, max= 314m (N= female#2)
1984: Night dive duration: avg= 10.4 ± 4.7min, max= 1668s (N= female#2)
1984: (LED-TDR, 230x45 mm, 500 g, Acc. 2% after 10 m)		 REF 1
1985: Dive depth: gd-avg= 61.6 ± 59.1m, max= 1300m (N=6 females)
1985: Note: maximum depth calculated (value > than maximum range of logger)
1985: Dive duration: gd-avg= 9.87 ± 5.3min, max= 2220 s (N=6 females)
1985: (LED-TDR, 230x45 mm, 500 g, Acc. 2% after 10 m)		 REF 2
2001?: Day dive depth: gd-avg= 102.7 ± 12.7m, max= 490m (N=2 females)
2001?: Day dive duration: gd-avg= 11.8 ± 0.8min, max= 1758s (N=2 females)
2001?: Night dive depth: gd-avg= 59 ± 19.9m, max= 294m (N=2 females)
2001?: Night dive duration: gd-avg= 9.2 ± 0.4min, max= 1722s (N=2 females)
2001?: (Mk3, Wildlife Computers, 150x25mm, 100g, sampling= 20s, Res. ± 2m)		 REF 3
PLAYA GRANDE (10°20'N - 85°51'W) TOP
1995-98: Dive depth: gd-avg= 19 ± 1m, max= 124m (N=6 females)
1995-98: Dive duration: gd-avg= 7.4 ± 0.6min, max= 4038s (N=6 females)
1995-98: (Custom-built TDR, sampling= 5s, Res. 4m in 1995-96, 1m in 1996-97)		 REF 4
2002-04: Dive depth: gd-avg= 14.6 ± 4.6m, max= 200m (N=19 females)
2002-04: Dive duration: gd-avg= 7.8 ± 2.4min, max= 2694 s (N=19 females)
2002-04: (LTD100, Lotek, Acc. 1%, sampling= 4-60 s)		 REF 5
PALM BEACH (26°74'N - 80°12'W) TOP
1998-99: Dive depth: avg= 5.3 ± 3.4m, max= 17.1m
1998-99: Dive depth: avg= 5.3 ± 3.4m, (N=34 turtles 2-10 weeks old)
1998-99: Dive duration: avg= 128.1 ± 84.4s, max= 360s
1998-99: Dive duration: avg= 128.1 ± 8 (N=34 turtles 2-10 weeks old)
1998-99: (Lotek LTD100, 57x18mm, mass underwater 1g, sampling= 2s)		 REF 6
RHODE ISLAND (41°27'N - 71°24'W) TOP
1981: Day dive duration: avg= 8.7 ± 5.7 min, max= 1260 s (N=1 subadult)
1981: Night dive duration: avg= 7.2 ± 2.8 min, max= 900 s (N=1 subadult)
1981: (164 MHz radio transmitter)		 REF 7
HALIFAX (44°39'N - 63°37'W) TOP
2005: Dive depth: mode= 20-25 m, max= 96 m (N= 1 female)
2005: Dive duration: avg= 6 ± 1.7 min, max= 1080 s (N= 1 female)
2005: (9000 SRDL, Sea Mammal Research Unit, Acc. 0.33 m, sampling= 4s)		 REF 8
GRENADA (12°12'N - 61°36'W) TOP
2002+03: Dive depth: median= 53 m, max= 1010 m (N= 9 females)
2002+03: Dive duration: avg= 341.8 ± 36.2min, max= 4260 s (N=9 females)
2002+03: (SRDL, Sea Mammal Research Unit)		 REF 9
2003: Dive depth: avg= 54.7 ± 37.9 m (N= 11 females)
2003: Dive duration: avg= 666 ± 276 min (N= 11 females)
2003: (TDR, DST Milli, Star Oddi, 38.4x12.5 mm, 9.2g, sampling = 1 min)		 REF 10
AWALA-YALIMAPO BEACH (5°44'N - 57°54'W) TOP
2001-03: Dive depth: avg= 9.4 ± 9.2 m, max= 83.8 m (N=10 females)
2001-03: Dive duration: avg= 4.4 ± 3.4 min, max= 1692 s (N=10 females)
2001-03: (UME-DT, TDR, Little Leonardo, 116x54mm, 54 g, Res. 0.05m, sampling=1s)		 REF 11
KWAZULU NATAL (26-27°S - 32°50-52'W) TOP
1999: dive duration: gd-avg= 4.9 ± 0.9min, max= 4938s (N=2 turtles)
2003: (ST-6 PTT, Telonics, sampling= 30s)
2002: dive depth: max= 240 m (N= turtle#3)
2002: dive duration: avg= 16.9 ± 0.5 min (N= turtle#3)
2003: dive depth: max= 940 m (N= turtle#4)
2003: dive duration: avg= 14.9 ± 0.3min, max= 2670 s (N= turtle#4)
2003: (Satellite Relay Data Loggers, Sea Mammal Research Unit, sampling= 4s, Acc. 0.33m)		 REF 12
1996: day dive duration: avg= 4 ± 0.4min (N=1 turtle)
1996: night dive duration: avg= 3.2 ± 0.2 min (N= 1 turtle)
1996: (ST-14 satellite transmitter, Telonics, with salt-water switch, dives >10s only)		 REF 13

REFERENCES
REF 1 Eckert SA, Nellis DW, Eckert KL, Kooyman GL (1986) Diving patterns of two leatherback sea-turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) during internesting intervals at Sandy Point, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Herpetologica 42: 381-388
REF 2 Eckert SA, Eckert KL, Ponganis P, Kooyman GL (1989) Diving and foraging behavior of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). Canadian Journal of Zoology 67: 2834-2840
REF 3 Eckert SA (2002) Swim speed and movement patterns of gravid leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) at St Croix, US Virgin Islands. Journal of Experimental Biology 205: 3689-3697
REF 4 Southwood A, Andrews RD, Lutcavage M, Paladino F, West N, George R, Jones DR (1999) Heart rates and diving behavior of leatherback sea turtles in the eastern pacific ocean. Journal of Experimental Biology 202: 1115-1125
REF 5 Wallace BP, Williams CL, Paladino FV, Morreale SJ, Lindstrom RT, Spotila JR (2005) Bioenergetics and diving activity of internesting leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea at Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas, Costa Rica. Journal of Experimental Biology 208: 3873-3884
REF 6 Salmon M, Jones T, Horch KW (2004) Ontogeny of Diving and Feeding Behavior in Juvenile Seaturtles: Leatherback Seaturtles (Dermochelys coriacea L) and Green Seaturtles (Chelonia mydas L) in the Florida Current. Journal of Herpetology 38: 36-43
REF 7 Standora EA, Spotila JR, Keinath JA, Shoop CR (1984) Body temperatures, diving cycles and movement of a subadult leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. Herpetologica 40: 169-176
REF 8 James MC, Davenport J, Hays GC (2006) Expanded thermal niche for a diving vertebrate: A leatherback turtle diving into near-freezing water. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 335: 221-226
REF 9 Bradshaw CJ, McMahon CR, Hays GC (2007) Behavioral Inference of Diving Metabolic Rate in Free-Ranging Leatherback Turtles. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 80: 000-000
REF 10 Myers AE, Hays GC (2006) Do leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea forage during the breeding season? A combination of data-logging devices provide new insights. Marine Ecology Progress Series 322: 259–267
REF 11 Fossette S, Ferraroli S, Tanaka H, Ropert-Coudert Y, Arai N, Sato K, Naito Y, Maho YL, Georges J-Y (2007) Dispersal and dive patterns in gravid leatherback turtles during the nesting season in French Guiana. Marine Ecology Progress Series 338: 233–247
REF 12 Sale A, Luschi P, Mencacci R, Lambardi P, Hughes GR, Hays GC, Benvenuti S, Papi F (2006) Long-term monitoring of leatherback turtle diving behaviour during oceanic movements. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 328: 197-210
REF 13 Hughes G, Luschi P, Mencacci R, Papi F (1998) The 7000-km oceanic journey of a leatherback turtle tracked by satellite. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 229: 209-217

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