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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 56(5)

Seasonality, abundance and breeding biology of one of the largest populations of nesting flatback turtles, Natator depressus: Cape Domett, Western Australia

Andrea U. Whiting A E , Allan Thomson B , Milani Chaloupka C and Colin J. Limpus D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia.

B Department of Environment and Conservation, East Kimberley District, Kununurra, WA 6743, Australia.

C Ecological Modelling Services, PO Box 6150, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.

D Environmental Protection Agency, PO Box 15 155, City East, Brisbane, Qld 4002, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: andrea.whiting@cdu.edu.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 56(5) 297-303 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO08038
Submitted: 16 April 2008  Accepted: 3 December 2008   Published: 29 January 2009

Abstract

Cape Domett, located in tropical Western Australia, supports a significant population of flatback turtles, Natator depressus, but the magnitude of this was previously underestimated. We assessed temporal nesting abundance to find that Cape Domett supports one of the largest aggregated nesting flatback turtle populations globally with annual abundance in the order of several thousand individuals (estimated = 3250, 95% CI = 1431–7757). We assessed temporal abundance within a year to find turtles nested throughout the year with peak nesting occurring between August and September. This paper re-evaluates the importance of this major flatback turtle nesting site and shows the first detailed examination of flatback turtle nesting biology in north-western Australia.


Acknowledgements

Funding and logistic support for this study were provided by the Kimberley Region of the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) through Gordon Graham. We thank all field assistants including Alex Bowlay (DEC), Kiki Dethmers and volunteers from Conservation Volunteers Australia and Save Endangered East Kimberley Species. Special thanks to Bob Prince (DEC) for sharing his observations from previous studies and to Scott Whiting and Gordon Graham for providing helpful comments on this manuscript. Andrea Whiting is funded by Charles Darwin University and received additional funding from the Australian Foundation for University Women (Northern Territory). Experiments were conducted under licenses from the Department of Conservation and Land Management (now Department of Environment and Conservation) (Permit No. SF005407) and the Charles Darwin University Animal Ethics Committee (Reference No. A02033).


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