Predation on green turtle Chelonia mydas nests by wild canids at Akyatan beach, Turkey

Abstract

In a study of factors affecting nesting success of green turtles Chelonia mydas in Turkey, over 75% of nests were preyed upon by either red fox Vulpes vulpes or golden jackal Canis aureus. The siting of nests, but not their susceptibility to predation, was affected by the location of the vegetation line, the slope of the beach and proximity to a tourist development. It seems unlikely that the turtles could sustain the observed level of nest predation, and so nest protection is advocated.