Did you know that anglerfish can be predators of loggerhead sea turtles in the Med?
Thanks to ARCHELON’s nationwide sea turtle Stranding Network*, anglerfish were recorded as opportunistic predators of sea turtles in the Med for the first time. A juvenile loggerhead turtle was found in the stomach of an anglerfish! Here is the story:
Loggerheads are predated at various stages of their life cycle by several species of marine and terrestrial animals. In the marine environment, it is assumed that predation rates are greater at early life stages and decline as turtles gain larger sizes. Marine predators for larger size loggerheads are mainly sharks as well as Mediterranean Monk Seals and large fish.
A full note on this was published in the Natural History Notes of the Herpetological Review 50(4), 2019, Dimitris Margaritoulis and Pavlos Tsaros/ ARCHELON.
(*) The Stranding/Rescue Network for sea turtles is operated by ARCHELON since 1992 and its members are Coast Guard officers, local Societies and concerned citizens, who collect data from dead turtles and help transfer injured turtles to the Rescue Centre, near Athens.
The first research results on plastics in sea turtles in Greece
NEWS FLASH!!! Apply for a Field Leader before January 9, 2020!
RECENT NEWS
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ARCHELON's Annual General Assembly
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Summer 2025: Lead the Way in Sea Turtle Conservation and become a Field Leader with ARCHELON!
A limited number of experienced and capable volunteers are selected each year for the positions of Field Leaders on the ARCHELON projects. Applications and short CVs for 2025 are now accepted!