Mildred Alpizar Quezada (2024)

The project led by Mildred Alpizar Quezada seeks to investigate two key questions regarding leatherback turtles nesting on the Mexican Pacific beaches: Are leatherback females nesting at a smaller size, and is hatching success linked to female identity? Hatching success, a critical metric for assessing beach protection efforts, is typically influenced by factors like temperature and humidity. However, little is known about how female identity may affect this success. This study will monitor the 2024-2025 nesting season at Playa Tierra Colorada, one of the key nesting beaches for leatherbacks in Mexico.

Data collected from the study will correlate female identity and incubation temperatures with hatching success and embryo mortality, and compare the sizes of neophyte and remigrant females to determine if there has been a decrease in minimum nesting size.