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Typical Breeding Parameters in Queensland
Life history parameters for marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and eastern Queensland.
| Parameter | Green | Loggerhead | Hawksbill | Flatback | Leatherback |
| Breeding season | late October to February | late October to early March, peaks in December | year round, conc. November to February, peaks in January | October to February | December & January |
| Years between breeding | 2-8 | 3-4 | 2-5 | 1-5 | not measured, 2-4 years in other parts of the world |
| Nesting female length | 107 cm (range from 91-124 cm) | 95.9cm(range from 85-108 cm) | 81.6 cm (range from 63.5-91 cm) | 94cm(range from 88-96 cm) | 162.4 cm (range from 150.5-174.5 cm) |
| Nesting female weight | 130kg (range from 98-184kg) | 99kg (range from 76-149 kg) | 50.4kg (range from 32.0-72.0 kg) | 82kg (range from 70-90 kg) | not measured (can weigh up to 960 kg) |
| Clutch size | 115 eggs (range from 62-153 eggs | 127eggs (range from 89-151 eggs) | 122eggs (range from 18-210 eggs) | 54 eggs | 90 eggs |
| Hatchling emergence season | December to May | December through April | year round, conc. from February to April | December to April | February & March |
| Average hatching success (% of eggs in a clutch producing hatchlings to the beach surface) | 84% | 80% | 79% | 80% | low |
| Hatchling size | 4.97cm (range from 4.02-5.19cm) | 4.33cm (range from 4.13-4.49 cm) | 3.98cm (range from 3.2-4.36 cm | 6.1 cm (range from 5.66-6.55 cm) | 5.9 cm (range from 5.14-6.52 cm) |
| Hatchling weight | 24.8g (range from 19.8-28.4g) | 19.2g (range from 17-20.5 g) | 13.8g (range from 8-17.5 g) | 44g (range from 33.3-49.1 g) | 47 g (range from 38.3-54.2 g) |
| Predators of eggs/hatchlings | Crabs, herons, dingoes, fish, foxes, pigs | Foxes, kookaburras, crows, raptors, gulls, reef egrets, ghost crabs and fish such as trevally and sharks | Gulls, reef egrets, ghost crabs, crocodiles, fish, sharks, crabs, dingoes, pigs | Pelicans, ghost crabs, crocodiles, sharks, foxes, pigs | Crabs and foxes |
Next: Green Turtles
Previous: Conservation Status
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