Study on the reproductive ecology of the endangered loggerhead sea turtle on the Shikoku coast

2013年5月中旬至7月底，在托萨湾尼约多河口附近的海岸观察到48次斑鳖的筑巢，并在2013年高知县所有筑巢地点中出现最频繁的一次。在3.4公里的调查地点中，河口以东0.9公里的区域具有适宜筑巢的环境因素，最高筑巢成功率为92.6%。2013年11月中旬至2014年1月底，在托萨湾附近捕获了6只海龟。根据性激素浓度，这些人被确认为三名女性和三名男性。其中一只雌性和一只雄性已经成熟，但其余的被确定为不成熟。据透露，从那时起，土沙湾将允许成年和亚成年海龟即使在冬季也可以迁徙，并将成为斑龟繁殖的重要水域之一。

The nesting of loggerhead turtle was observed forty eight times on the coast near Niyodo River mouth, Tosa Bay, from the middle of May to the end of July in 2013 and showed the maximum frequency among the entire nesting sites of Kochi prefecture during 2013. Of the location of survey that covered 3.4 km, an area that stretched 0.9 km near the east of the river mouth featured such suitable factors of environment for nesting and indicated the utmost nesting success rate of 92.6 %.Six turtles were caught off Tosa Bay from the middle of November in 2013 to the end of January in 2014. Those were identified as three females and three males by the sex hormone density. Among them one female and one male were matured but the rest were determined to be immature. From here onwards, it was revealed that Tosa Bay would allow adult and sub-adult turtles to migrate even in winter seasons and would be one of the important water-zones for reproduction of loggerhead turtles.