Annie Page-Karjian

Sea turtles face both anthropogenic and natural threats including boat strikes, fisheries,
pollution, and predator attacks. Injuries from anthropogenic sources are more common than
naturally caused injuries. The goal of this study was to determine prevalence and cause (e.g. boat
strike, entanglement, hook, shark bite) of injuries on nesting loggerhead sea turtles Caretta
caretta on Juno and Jupiter beaches, Florida, USA. During the 2019 and 2020 nesting seasons, 450
loggerhead females were examined for external injuries. Injuries were categorized by anatomic
location, condition, and cause. We found that 24% of loggerheads had at least 1 injury. Of the 111
injuries found on 107 nesting females, 88% were healed, 9% were partially healed with some
scarred tissue, and 3% were fresh injuries. Most injuries (55%) were lateral injuries on the carapace
or appendages. We were able to attribute 60 injuries to a specific cause. Boat strikes
accounted for 75% of the 60 injuries, shark bites accounted for 15%, fishing hooks accounted for
7%, and entanglements accounted for the remaining 3%. This study provides new insight into the
prevalence of anthropogenic injuries relative to natural injuries in loggerhead sea turtles nesting
in the most densely nested beach in the Western Hemisphere and can be used to improve conservation
management plans through implementation of fishing and/or boating restrictions in the
nesting and foraging areas most commonly frequented by sea turtles.

Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating, infectious neoplastic disease, is rarely reported
in endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). With this study, we describe FP and
the associated chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in Kemp’s ridley turtles encountered in the
United States during 2006–2020. Analysis of 22 case reports of Kemp’s ridley turtles with FP revealed
that while the disease was mild in most cases, 54.5% were adult turtles, a reproductively valuable
age class whose survival is a priority for population recovery. Of 51 blood samples from tumor-free
turtles and 12 tumor samples from turtles with FP, 7.8% and 91.7%, respectively, tested positive for
ChHV5 DNA via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Viral genome shotgun sequencing
and phylogenetic analysis of six tumor samples show that ChHV5 sequences in Kemp’s ridley
turtles encountered in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic cluster with ChHV5 sequences
identified in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles from Hawaii, the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean. Results suggest an interspecific, spatiotemporal
spread of FP among Kemp’s ridley turtles in regions where the disease is enzootic. Although FP is
currently uncommon in this species, it remains a health concern due to its uncertain pathogenesis
and potential relationship with habitat degradation.

At the time of hatchling emergence from a nest laid on Juno Beach, Florida, US, by a
normally pigmented green turtle (Chelonia mydas), 23 albino hatchlings and 75 normally pigmented
hatchlings were observed. This condition is rarely seen in sea turtles, and little is known about blood
analytes and genetics of albino wildlife to date. Therefore, the objective of our study was to assess and
compare morphometric measurements (mass, minimum straight carapace length, body condition
index), carapacial scute anomalies, a suite of hematologic and plasma biochemical analytes, and two
glucose analysis methodologies (glucometer and dry chemistry analysis) in albino (n¼20) versus
normally pigmented (n¼24) hatchlings from this nest. Genetic analyses were completed to identify
paternal contributions of hatchlings and to test Mendelian inheritance assumptions. Although
morphometric measurements, scute anomalies, and leukocyte morphology were similar between
albino and normally pigmented hatchlings, several differences were observed in blood analyte data:
immature erythrocytes, packed cell volume, heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, and glucose concentrations
(by both methodologies) were significantly higher, whereas absolute immature heterophils, absolute
lymphocytes, number of erythrocyte micronuclei, sodium, and chloride were significantly lower in
albino hatchlings compared with normally pigmented hatchlings. Considerations for these differences
include a stress response from sampling (e.g., timing of procedures or possibly from photosensitivity or
reduced visual acuity in albinos) and different osmoregulation, which may reflect physiologic variations
or stress. There was a small positive bias (0.10 mmol/L) with glucose by glucometer, similar to reports in
other sea turtle species and confirming its suitability for use in hatchlings. All albino hatchlings analyzed
(n¼10) were from the same father, but the normally pigmented hatchlings (n¼24) were from two other
fathers. These findings provide insight into the physiology and genetics of albinism in sea turtles.
Key words: Biochemistry, genotype, glucose, hematology, leucism, method comparison, multiple
paternity, sea turtle.