Perdida de marcas metálicas en la tortuga marina lora (Lepidochelys Kempi) que anida en Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, México

Abstract

BETWEEN 1992 AND 1998 FEMALES OF KEMPS RIDLEY SEA TURTLES (LEPIDOCHELYS KEMPI, GARMAN 1880) WERE DOUBLE TAGGED IN RANCHO NUEVO, TAMAULIPAS (MEXICO). TAGS USED WERE EXTERNAL, MADE OF MONEL AND INCONEL STEEL ALLOYS, AND INTERNAL (PIT TAGS). THE PROBABILITIES OF SHEDDING AND ERRONEOUS READINGS OF METAL TAGS WERE CALCULATED DURING THE NESTING SEASONS, AS WELL AS THE PROBABILITY OF DETECT- ING SCARS LEFT BY MISSING TAGS. THE PROBABILITY OF SHEDDING (± CONFIDENCE INTER- VAL) WAS 0.05 ± 0.011, OBTAINED FROM SIX SEASONS. THERE WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROBABILITIES ESTIMATED WITH MARKS MADE WITH MONEL OR INCONEL. THAT SUGGESTS THAT THE ALLOY WAS LESS IMPORTANT IN THE LOSS OF TAG. THE PROBABILITY OF OBTAINING ERRONEOUS READINGS WAS BETWEEN 0.004 ± 0.008 AND 0.26 ± 0.17, BUT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN A GENERAL VALUE WHAT IMPLIES THAT THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD BE CONSTANTLY EVALUATED. THE PROBABILITIES ESTIMATED FROM FEMALES THAT NESTED THREE TIMES IN A NESTING SEASON SHOWED THAT THE TAG LOSS WAS CONSTANT ALONG THE SEASONS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PROBABILITY OF DETECTING A TAG SCAR WAS ESTIMATED FROM DATA OF SIX SEASONS (0.85 ± 0.05), WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THIS FEATURE ALLOWS TO DISTINGUISH NEW FEMALES RECRUITING TO MATURE FEMALES POPULATION.