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Aspectos de comportamento alimentar e dieta da tartaruga marinha, Chelonia mydas no litoral norte paulista

Some aspects on feeding behaviour of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, in the northern littoral of State of São Paulo

Resumo

Feeding behavior of immature green turtles, Chelonia mydas, has been observed on rocky shores along the northern part of State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. This turtle forages on underwater ledges, at depths of 1 to 3 m and grazes on benthic algae. The turtle seems to visually scan the algae during feeding and moves slowly, walking from one patch of vegetation to another. Gut contents of four individuals (331-452 mmCCL) consisted mainly of red and brown algae. Comparisons between gut contents and algae growing at the grazing sites, together with scanning behavior suggest selective feeding. Syntopic large herbivorous fishes of the genera Kyphosus, Sparisma, and Acanthurus showed little feeding overlap with the green turtle.

Feeding behavior; Herbivores; Seaweeds; Gut contents; Grazing; Chelonia mydas; Southeast coast-Brazil


Hábitos alimentares; Herbívoros; Algas; Conteúdo do tubo digestivo; Pastejo; Chelonia mydas; Costa sudeste-Brasil

Feeding behavior; Herbivores; Seaweeds; Gut contents; Grazing; Chelonia mydas; Southeast coast-Brazil

NOTAS

Aspectos de comportamento alimentar e dieta da tartaruga marinha, Chelonia mydas no litoral norte paulista

Some aspects on feeding behaviour of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, in the northern littoral of State of São Paulo

Ivan Sazima* (* ) Departamentos de Zoologia e Botânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP 6109 - 13100-Campinas, SP. ; Marlies Sazima* (* ) Departamentos de Zoologia e Botânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP 6109 - 13100-Campinas, SP.

Universidade Estadual de Campinas

Descritores: Hábitos alimentares, Herbívoros, Algas, Conteúdo do tubo digestivo, Pastejo, Chelonia mydas, Costa sudeste-Brasil.

SYNOPSIS

Feeding behavior of immature green turtles, Chelonia mydas, has been observed on rocky shores along the northern part of State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. This turtle forages on underwater ledges, at depths of 1 to 3 m and grazes on benthic algae. The turtle seems to visually scan the algae during feeding and moves slowly, walking from one patch of vegetation to another. Gut contents of four individuals (331-452 mmCCL) consisted mainly of red and brown algae. Comparisons between gut contents and algae growing at the grazing sites, together with scanning behavior suggest selective feeding. Syntopic large herbivorous fishes of the genera Kyphosus, Sparisma, and Acanthurus showed little feeding overlap with the green turtle.

Descriptors: Feeding behavior, Herbivores, Seaweeds, Gut contents, Grazing, Chelonia mydas, Southeast coast-Brazil.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Agradecimentos

Somos gratos a José de Oliveira e César Aranha, por apoio nos trabalhos de campo e laboratório; a Eurico C. de Oliveira Filho e Da. Mathilde G. Joly, por facilidades e apoio; a J. Semir e C. Zamprogno, por sugestões e leitura do manuscrito; ao CNPq, por apoio financeiro.

(Recebido 12-jul-1983; aceito 26-mar-1984)

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  • PRITCHARD, C. H. 1971. Galapagos sea turtles - preliminary findings. J. Herp., 5(1-2):1-9.
  • RANDALL, J. E. 1965. Grazing effect on sea grasses by herbivorous reef fishes in the West Indies. Ecology, 46(3):255-260.
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  • (*
    ) Departamentos de Zoologia e Botânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP 6109 - 13100-Campinas, SP.
  • Datas de Publicação

    • Publicação nesta coleção
      31 Maio 2012
    • Data do Fascículo
      1983

    Histórico

    • Aceito
      26 Mar 1984
    • Recebido
      12 Jul 1983
    Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, 05508-120 São Paulo SP Brasil, Tel.: (55 11) 3091 6513, Fax: (55 11) 3032 3092 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
    E-mail: amspires@usp.br