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Yesterday, 13 August, Ms Helena Havlíková recorded interesting behaviour of a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) near Peroj, on the western coast of Istria: the turtle came ashore, briefly moved across the pebble beach and then returned to the sea.
This was most likely a behaviour known as a “false crawl”, in which a female loggerhead sea turtle comes ashore to assess whether a beach is suitable for laying eggs. If the conditions are not favourable, she returns to the sea and attempts to find a more suitable location. Such behaviour occurs during the summer months, during the nesting season, and possible reasons for abandoning a nesting attempt include unsuitable beach conditions, such as a lack of fine sand or the presence of large stones, as well as human disturbance.
The main nesting sites of loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean are located on sandy beaches in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. However, this case, along with a similar observation recorded in Istria in mid-July and two nesting sites recorded on the island of Korčula last year, may indicate changes in the distribution and nesting site selection of the Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle population. Monitoring their movements and documenting nesting sites while keeping a safe distance from the turtles are therefore important for gaining a better understanding of these changes.
We sincerely thank Ms Helena Havlíková for informing us and sharing the video!
