Abstract
Sixteen satellite-tagged adult male loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) dispersed widely from an aggregation near Port Canaveral, Florida, USA (28°23âČN, â80°32âČW) after breeding. Northbound males migrated further (990 ± 303 km) than southbound males (577 ± 168 km) and transited more rapidly (median initial dive duration = 6 (IQR = 4â16) versus 19 (IQR = 10â31) min, respectively).. Migration occurred along a depth corridor (20â40 m) except where constricted by a narrow continental shelf width. Males foraged in areas 27 ± 41 km2 dayâ1 at locations <1â80 km from shore for 100.1 ± 60.6 days, with variability in foraging patterns not explained by turtle size or geography. Post-breeding dispersal patterns were similar to patterns reported for adult female loggerhead sea turtles in this region and adult male loggerhead sea turtles elsewhere in the northern hemisphere; however, foraging ground distributions were most similar to adult female loggerhead sea turtles in this region.
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