Nesting activity of the loggerhead turtle caretta caretta in South Carolina, II. protection of nests from raccoon predation by transplantation

Abstract

Small mammals are significant predators of unhatched marine turtle nests in many parts of the world. Raccoons Procyon lotor destroy over 95% of the loggerhead turtle nests laid on some South Carolina beaches. To remove developing eggs from nest-associated clues which could aid raccoons, we transplanted whole and partially preyed-upon nests on Kiawah or Cedar Islands in 1972, 1973, 1977 and 1978. Eggs were moved to man-made cavities near the original nest cavities in erosion-free areas. Care was taken not to transfer clues from the original nest. Predation on wild (control) nests ranged from 55·1% (Cedar, 1978) to 93·8% (Kiawah, 1972). Transplant predation was significantly lower in all cases, ranging from 6·1% (Kiawah, 1972) to 18·7% (Kiawah, 1973). Hatching success of transplant was not significantly different from that of hatchery-reared or control clutches (60–81%). Transplanting may be an easier, less expensive method for protection of nests from predation or erosion than other procedures such as predator control, chemical aversion conditioning, or hatcheries, and merits further testing at other turtle rookeries.