Estratégia de forrageamento de subsuperfície de Chelonia mydas e suas implicações para a conservação

Abstract

Chelonia mydas (green turtle) is an emblematic group of animals threatened with extinction. Among the various anthropogenic threats, the most growing and one of the most dangerous currently is the debris ingestion. There are several studies related to the debris ingested by the green turtles, however there is a difficulty in understanding how this solid waste is consumed by these animals. Thus, in this work it was possible to demonstrate, through aerial images, a foraging behavior not yet described, called "subsurface swimming", which can increase the susceptibility of debris ingestion by the turtles bringing consequences for the conservation of the species. The data were obtained with the use of a drone in a region recognized as a feeding area for juveniles of Chelonia mydas. Through the analysis of the recordings, two foraging behaviors were identified, subsurface and bottom swimming, and also two events of interaction between green turtles and garbage. During subsurface swimming, the animal swam close to the water surface, ventilating and periodically capturing suspended material for feeding. In the background foraging, the animal was seen foraging near the rocky bottom, regularly going to the surface to ventilate and returning to the bottom. It was observed that the respiratory rate during bottom foraging was double when compared to subsurface swimming. In addition, during the subsurface swim, the green turtles captured food at least once in 85% of the total observations. The use of a drone was fundamental in this work, allowing the description of a behavior that has not been verified yet. Subsurface swimming requires less energy since the food is available in suspension and the animal has fewer breathing events. In addition, subsurface swimming can facilitate the access of green turtles to ingest plastic debris, as there is an enormous availability of this floating material in coastal areas around the world, and it can also increase the likelihood of these animals being hit by boats and fishing nets. With this, it is evident the need for protection and monitoring of Chelonia mydas foraging areas by boats or fishing, as well as the control of solid waste that arrive at the coast.