Een waarneming van de lederschildpad Dermochelys coriacea (L.) en de eerste waarneming van Stomatolepas dermochelys Monroe & Limpus 1979 aan de Belgische kust
Haelters, J.; Kerckhof, F. (1999). Een waarneming van de lederschildpad Dermochelys coriacea (L.) en de eerste waarneming van Stomatolepas dermochelys Monroe & Limpus 1979 aan de Belgische kust. De Strandvlo 19(1): 30-39 In: De Strandvlo: Driemaandelijks Tijdschrift van De Strandwerkgroep België. De Strandwerkgroep België: Ursel. ISSN 0773-3542, more |  |
| Abstract | On September 10, 1998 part of a leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea (L.) was found in the nets of the trawler O.62, fishing off De Haan on the Belgian coast. The left side of the turtle, the head missing, was very fresh. The other remains of the animal were probably not too far away. Indeed, the next day the rest of the carcass washed ashore at Wenduine. Alas, it was buried on the beach. By the time this part was dug up (a couple of days later), it was already badly decomposed, and a lot of the bones were broken. Most probably the animal had been hit by a ship's propellor. The total length of the animal was around 170 cm (measured straight), and it must have weighed around 250 kg. It probably was a male. From the animal a number of barnacles Stomatolepas dermochelys Monroe & Limpus 1979 were collected. This was only the second report of a leatherback turtle from the Belgian coast, and the first observation of Stomatolepas dermochelys in Belgium. |
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