Rare occurrence of the leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, in Izmir Bay, Aegean Sea, Turkey
Articles > Case Report · 2015
Authors: Ertan TAŞKAVAK, Salim Can AKÇINAR, Çağlayan İnanlı
Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Journal Indexed in ESCI, International, Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), 2015, vol 32, pp 51-52
DOI: 10.12714/egejfas.2015.32.1.08
Summary
<p>Leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, is an aquatic and circumglobal species and is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. Although the species mainly inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and occasionally enters the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the sightings have been made in the western part of the Mediterranean. More than a decade after the species’ first record in the Aegean coasts of Turkey, the recent specimen was found stranded dead on the coast of Izmir Bay on October 28, 2011. The mature turtle was a female with 148 cm of curved carapace length and 198 kg of weight. Two deep transversal cuts which seem</p><p>to be caused by a boat propeller were observed on the carapace.</p>