Monk seal threat to endangered marine turtles

Recent Publications

D. Margaritoulis & S. Touliatou. 2011. Mediterranean monk seals present an ongoing threat for Loggerheads in Zakynthos. Marine Turtle Newsletter 131 (December 2011): 18-23. [PDF 1.4 MB]

[…] During the 1994 nesting season, 8 loggerhead turtles were found dead in the wider area of Laganas Bay with injuries attributed to predation by monk seals. The observed injuries, as well as direct observations of the predation events, suggested that monk seals were attacking loggerheads from below, snapping off the posterior plastral scutes and feeding on the turtle’s entrails (Margaritoulis et al. 1996). This unique behavior, not documented anywhere else in the world (Fertl & Fulling 2007), was thought to have been triggered by depleted levels of local fish resources during the same season (Karavellas 1995). […]

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