Kawazu Isao, Kino Masakatsu, Maeda Konomi, Teruya Hideshi
Okinawa Churashima Foundation, 888 Ishikawa, Motobu, Okinawa, Japan.
Zoo Biol. 2015 Mar-Apr;34(2):178-82. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21190. Epub 2014 Dec 23.
The aim of this study was to record the age and body size of 23 captive female hawksbill turtles at the onset of follicular development. The age, straight carapace length (SCL), and body mass (BM) of the turtles were recorded between 2006 and 2014 at follicular development (determined via ultrasonography) these parameters were 17.7 ± 1.7 years (range: 13-20 years), 77.7 ± 3.3 cm (73.3-83.5 cm), and 61.1 ± 8.0 kg (48.2-76.1 kg), respectively. When the year of the onset of follicular development was designated year 0, the increase in SCL in years -7-0 and 0-3 averaged 2.2 cm and 1.0 cm, respectively. Correspondingly, the increase in BM in years -7-0 and 0-3 averaged 5.0 kg and 2.2 kg, respectively. This is the first study to report the age and body size of captive female hawksbill turtles at the onset of follicular development, which indicates the beginning of sexual maturation. The reduction in growth after follicular development suggests that at the onset of sexual maturation, female hawksbills may utilize energy for follicular development rather than growth.
本研究的目的是记录23只圈养雌性玳瑁龟在卵泡发育开始时的年龄和体型。2006年至2014年期间，在卵泡发育时（通过超声检查确定）记录了这些海龟的年龄、直线背甲长度（SCL）和体重（BM），这些参数分别为17.7±1.7岁（范围：13 - 20岁）、77.7±3.3厘米（73.3 - 83.5厘米）和61.1±8.0千克（48.2 - 76.1千克）。当卵泡发育开始的年份被指定为第0年时，在-7至0年和0至3年期间，SCL的增长平均分别为2.2厘米和1.0厘米。相应地，在-7至0年和0至3年期间，BM的增长平均分别为5.0千克和2.2千克。这是第一项报告圈养雌性玳瑁龟在卵泡发育开始时的年龄和体型的研究，这表明性成熟的开始。卵泡发育后生长的减少表明，在性成熟开始时，雌性玳瑁可能将能量用于卵泡发育而非生长。
