To Report a Dead
or Injured Sea Turtle
Call 1-800-922-5431

Lights Out Bumper Sticker
SC Sea Turtle License Plate

Morphometrics Study

Loggerhead TurtleEighty-nine turtles were measured and tagged on Cape Island in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge from June 20-28, 2000. All but one of the turtles had a body depth larger than the current 12-inch TED opening. We compared curved carapace length (CCL) with loggerheads measured in Florida in 1979 and again in 1997. The mean CCL for 1979 Florida loggerheads was 92.6 cm. The mean CCL for 1997 Florida loggerheads was 91.4 cm. And the CCL for 2000 Cape Island loggerheads was 95.0 cm. Both the size distribution and change in mean CCL may indicate a recruitment of young nesters to the Florida population over this time interval. The size distribution of the Cape Island loggerheads and larger mean CCL indicate a lack of recruitment to this population. This project involved a total of 7 staff and 23 volunteers for a total of 54 man-nights of work.