Sea Turtle Hatchling Gender Analysis (Principal Investigator - Dr. Reia Guppy)

Most sea turtle conservation programmes focus on nesting adults, and not total populations (including males), or hatchlings.  Along with The Turtle Village Trust (TVT), the gender of sea turtle hatchlings, primarily green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles are being identified using DNA analysis. Gender of sea turtle hatchlings is critical in the understanding of the effects of changes in climate.  These gender of these reptiles are determined not by sex chromosomes but by a process known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Lower temperatures give rise to male sea turtles, while warmer temperatures give rise to female turtles.  This project looks to determine the current sexes of hatchlings found around Trinidad and Tobago.  By 2018, the gender anaylses of these hatchlings is hoped to be done via non-invasive techniques such as residual hormonal analyses within shells.

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) yearling at the Grande Riviere Headstart Programme.