Movements of yellow-morphotype green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Galápagos Marine Reserve

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Introduction Movements of Green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) around the Galápagos is known from very few studies. Two morphotypes of C. mydas exist in Galápagos: the Central Eastern Pacific (“black-morphotype”) and the putative Western Indo-Pacific (“yellow-morphotype”). While post-nesting movements of black-morphotype females have been studied, how yellow-morph females and males of either morphotype use the local habitats of Galápagos remains unknown. Materials and methods We used Argos satellite telemetry to track nine adult-sized yellow-morphotype turtles (2 females, 7 males) across four islands of the Galápagos Marine Reserve over periods ranging between 45 and 418 days. Results Individuals exhibited strong coastal site fidelity, with core areas concentrated in shallow nearshore habitats. Most turtles remained associated with a single island, although several undertook inter-island movements spanning tens of kilometers. Home range estimates (95% kernel utilization distributions) were highly variable among individuals (mean = 1,497.9 ± 2,913.9 km² SE), reflecting differences in movement behavior and habitat use. Despite extended tracking durations, no individuals exhibited movements beyond the archipelago. Discussion Our findings underscore the importance of preserving habitat quality and connectivity among coastal and inter-island areas within the Galápagos Marine Reserve, which may function as critical movement and foraging corridors for this poorly understood morphotype.

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