2011 · 14 citations · 3 references
Life SciencesEcologyZoologyHerpetologyOrnithologyWildlife ManagementBird ConservationSea Turtle ConservationCoastal Sand Mining ImpactsForaging Habitat EcologyHatchling SurvivalNest StudiesSea Turtle BiologySea Turtle MorphologySea Turtle Nesting BiologySea Turtle Nesting Ecology
We present a first description of a single nest of the endangered Euphrates softshell turtle Rafetus euphraticus from the Tigris River in south-eastern Anatolia on 13 th June 2009. The nest was excavated 4.12 m from the shoreline on a uniformly rising sand slope, reaching 1 m above the water table. The distance from the surface to the nest chamber was about 13 cm. Eggs were spherical, 29.47 mm ± 0.29 in diameter, and weighed 13.6 g ± 0.34 (n = 32). Sand grain size was predominantly (96.25%) 0.149 to 0.42 mm. The species is seriously threatened in this region by dam projects and routine sand mining.
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