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Sea Turtles in the Dry Tortugas: Tracking Movements of Endangered Species in Florida's Coral-Reef Habitats

Kristen Hart and Keith Ludwig of the USGS Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC) participated in two research cruises in 2008 to study patterns of habitat use by endangered sea turtles in and around the National Park. Hart's research effort focuses on quantifying patterns of sea turtle habitat use, employing capture-recapture and satellite- and More...

  • One of the smallest juvenile green turtles (Chelonia agassizii) captured thus far, August 2008, Dry

Protocols for Drawing Blood from the Brachial Plexus of Desert Tortoises

Instructions for ordering equipment and culture media; summary of how to draw blood and conduct nasal lavages; and information on how to contract for laboratory analysis and ship laboratory samples.

  • Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

Diamondback Terrapin in the Chesapeake Bay

Summary of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center's progress to assess the status of Northern diamondback terrapins in the Chesapeake Bay. PWRC's objectives included providing "information on current habitat type and activities of the diamondback terrapin," and evaluating "the genetic relatedness, levels of gene flow and degree of isolation of More...

  • Diamondback terrapin

Salvaging Injured, Recently Dead, Ill, and Dying Wild, Free-Roaming Desert Tortoises (Gopherus Agassizii)

Salvage of injured, recently dead, ill, and dying desert tortoises is a very important part of recovery programs for these reptiles. Salvaged desert tortoises can provide a wealth of information about such subjects as health, disease, presence of heavy metals and other toxicants, and causes of mortality in populations. When tortoises are salvaged More...

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Anthropogenic Degradation of the Southern California Desert Ecosystem and Prospects for Natural Recovery and Restoration

This project started to conduct an extensive review of the literature pertaining to restoring degraded desert tortoise habitat, with emphasis on the Mojave Desert. Recovery to pre-disturbance plant cover and biomass may take from 50-300 years while complete ecosystem recovery may require over 3,000 years. Restoration can be used to enhance the More...

  • Scarred hillside near Palm Springs, California

Spatial pattern of risk of common raven predation on desert tortoises

One cause for declines in desert tortoise populations is predation on juveniles by common ravens (Corvus corax), a predatory bird species native to the Mojave Desert. The Recovery Plan for the Desert Tortoise recommended that research be conducted on sources of mortality (including natural predation). This study was implemented to investigate the More...

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Partnership Returns Captive Desert Tortoises to the Wild

Captive desert tortoises (gopherus agassizii) are getting a "second chance" to live and reproduce in the deserts of the southwest thanks to a unique partnership among state and federal agencies in Nevada. As part of the Desert Tortoise Translocation and Habitat Efficacy Study, captive desert tortoises will be released starting March of 1997 onto More...

  • Photo of a Desert tortoise

Ecology of the Western Pond Turtle in the Mojave River

Little is known about the western pond turtle, a species protected by the State of California. The U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and the California Department of Fish and Game are together studying the ecology of the turtle: distribution and status, demographic structure, clutch size and frequency, and seasonal changes in More...

  • Western pond turtle

Herpetological Monitoring Using a Pitfall Trapping Design in Southern California

The steps necessary to conduct a pitfall trapping survey for small terrestrial vertebrates are presented. Descriptions of the materials needed and the methods to build trapping equipment from raw materials are discussed. Recommended data collection techniques are given along with suggested data fields. Animal specimen processing procedures, More...

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Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California

This site is a field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of coastal Southern California, including species accounts, illustrations of tadpoles, and images of different habitat types. The guide also contains a glossary of terms, a map of the study area, and types of habitats.

  • Pacific Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps pacificus major)

Survey and Monitoring of Western Pond Turtles

Description of a project to survey and monitor the western pond turtle, a species in Oregon's critical list. Includes statement of problem, objectives, methodology, related publications, and contact information.

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Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles....An Imperiled Species

Following the Kemp's Ridley on their perilous trek from Padre Island National Seashore, TX, where they are establishing a secondary nesting colony, to the Gulf of Mexico, is tricky business. Satellite transmitters are attached to a select number of females returning to the sea after laying eggs, their movements tracked by receivers picking up the More...

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