Monitoring and conservation of the largest loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting population in Africa: successes and challenges.

[EN] The Republic of Cape Verde is situated about 500 km off the coast of Senegal, West Africa. The islands of Sal, Boa Vista and Maio constitute the Eastern group and harbour the most important nesting beaches for loggerhead turtles in the Archipelago. During 1998-2004 nesting seasons, fieldwork has been focused on the eastern beaches of Boa Vista and, occasionally, in other beaches of Boa Vista and in the islands of Maio, Sal and Santa Luzia. The main study area includes a total extension of 3.1 km of suitable nesting beaches. All through these years, a tagging program has been carried out, alongside recording of biological data and monitoring of nests.

Fusarium solani is responsible for mass mortalities in nests of loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, in Boavista, Cape Verde

[EN] The fungus Fusarium solani (Mart.) Saccardo (1881) was found to be the cause of infections in the eggs of the sea turtle species Caretta caretta in Boavista Island, Cape Verde. Egg shells with early and severe symptoms of infection, as well as diseased embryos were sampled from infected nests. Twenty-five isolates with similar morphological characteristics were obtained. Their ITS rRNA gene sequences were similar to the GenBank sequences corresponding to F. solani and their maximum identity ranged from 95% to 100%.

Population structure and conservation implications for the loggerhead sea turtle of the Cape Verde Islands

[EN] The Cape Verde Islands harbour the second largest nesting aggregation of the globally endangered loggerhead sea turtle in the Atlantic. To characterize the unknown genetic structure, connectivity, and demographic history of this population, we sequenced a segment of the mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region (380 bp, n = 186) and genotyped 12 microsatellite loci (n = 128) in females nesting at three islands of Cape Verde. No genetic differentiation in either haplotype or allele frequencies was found among the islands (mtDNA FST = 0. 001, P > 0. 02; nDNA FST = 0. 001, P > 0. 126). However, population pairwise comparisons of the mtDNA data revealed significant differences between Cape Verde and all previously sequenced Atlantic and Mediterranean rookeries (FST = 0. 745; P < 0. 000).

Twelve new polymorphic microsatellite markers from the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and cross-species amplification on other marine turtle species

[EN] We describe 12 new polymorphic dinucleotide microsatellite loci and multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction conditions from the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta. Levels of polymorphism were assessed in 50 individuals from the nesting population of the Cape Verde Islands.

Phenotypically linked dichotomy in sea turtle foraging requires multiple conservation approaches

[EN] Marine turtles undergo dramatic ontogenic changes in body size and behavior, with the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, typically switching from an initial oceanic juvenile stage to one in the neritic, where maturation is reached and breeding migrations are subsequently undertaken every 2-3 years [1-3]. Using satellite tracking, we investigated the migratory movements of adult females from one of the world's largest nesting aggregations at Cape Verde, West Africa. In direct contrast with the accepted life-history model for this species [4], results reveal two distinct adult foraging strategies that appear to be linked to body size. The larger turtles (n = 3) foraged in coastal waters, whereas smaller individuals (n = 7) foraged oceanically.

Natural colonization of loggerhead turtle eggs by the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum

[EN] Sea turtle nests are exposed to different environmental risks that may affect their hatching success. Human exploitation, predation by wild or domestic animals, nest flooding or severe beach erosion or accession are common causes of egg mortality. However, there is very little information about the impact of microorganisms on turtle eggs. We analyzed loggerhead turtle eggs from Boavista Island (Republic of Cabo Verde) which were incubated under different environmental conditions in order to evaluate the presence and impact of fungus. We have isolated Fusarium oxysporum from dead and live eggs after three days of incubation.

The international importance of the archipelago of Cape Verde for marine turtles, in particular the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

[ES] The shores of Cape Verde hosts one of the most important nesting populations of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in the world, as well as important feeding grounds for hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and green turtles Chelonia mydas. In the past few years, a number of scientific studies have demonstrated the relevance of the waters and beaches of this archipelago for the conservation of these endangered marine megavertebrates. This article aims to bring together the most relevant scientific information published on the subject so far. In addition, we will provide an overview of the current situation of sea turtles in Cape Verde, their conservation status and their importance in an international context.

New records of the olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) from the Cape Verde Islands

[ES] The olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea has been recorded in the Cape Verde Islands, but the most recent published data (1998-2000) are of stranded ndividuals and remains only. This article presents new data on olive ridleys recorded during the years 2001-2011 on Boavista and Sal islands. The presence of his species does not appear to be related to nesting activity. The possible geographical origin of these turtles is discussed. In addition, we propose some studies that could help to reinforce the conservation of sea turtles in West Africa.