398
The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. II
15.3.2.3 Body Mass
We strongly recommend that body mass be measured along with routine morphometric measurements, such as carapace length (CL) (Bolten, 1999). For health
assessment, these objective data can be used to produce body condition indices that
can provide a broad measure of how the animal is faring, and can be compared
across studies and field sites. For example, either the ratio of body mass to CL or
the ratio of mass to estimated volume such as (CL 3 ) could readily be compared
among individuals and across studies.
15.3.2.4 Physical Examination
While the turtle is handled for measurements and tagging, a thorough external
physical exam should be performed. The limbs, skin, carapace, and, plastron should
be examined to determine whether they are intact or have defects (e.g., cuts or scars).
For example, is the shell smooth or does it appear to have delaminating or missing
scutes, which could be a sign of either shell infection or serious systemic disease?
The skin and shell should be examined for lumps and abnormal growths. The
abundance and types of epibiota (commensals and ectoparasites) should be noted.
The eyes should be examined to determine whether they are intact and clear. Any
obvious indications of entanglement or other fisheries interactions should be
described. The cloaca and oral cavity should be examined to identify hooks, line,
or lesions. Color and amount of mucus present as well as any odor should be noted.
Abnormalities should be described using the most objective and precise terms
possible, and illustrated with drawings and measurements. For example, a large,
raised, firm, and smooth swelling on the skin of a turtle should not be identified as
FP; even though the word “tumor” may be appropriate, it commonly evokes an
interpretation of neoplasia. Such a raised mass could be neoplasia, an abscess,
granuloma, cyst, scar, or other anomaly. If the turtle is tagged and released, at least
there is documentation and objective description of the abnormality.
Because the accurate description and documentation of suspected abnormalities
will be the most important component of any health assessment program, it is worth
discussing data records. A field data sheet has been developed for health assessment
of the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizzi (Berry and Christopher, 2001), and a basic
data sheet for stranded sea turtles is available (Shaver and Teas, 1999) that can be
modified. Data sheets that are designed as questionnaires with clear “yes,” “no,” or
categorical (multiple choice) answers for physical and behavioral examinations facilitate coding and data entry (Berry and Christopher, 2001). Categorical choices help
keep descriptive data as objective as possible, and coding these data allows data
management and development of descriptive statistics and a reference database. They
also serve as mnemonic devices, prompting the investigator to look for specific details.
Data sheets should be designed and used in a way that clearly indicates whether
a part was examined and whether an abnormality was observed. Missing data should
not be misinterpreted as negative findings. For example, were the eyes and the oral
cavity examined? The data sheet should also record whether specific samples (e.g.,
blood, biopsy, or ectoparasites) were collected. Data sheets containing line drawings
1123 book.book Page 398 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM
The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. II
15.3.2.3 Body Mass
We strongly recommend that body mass be measured along with routine morphometric measurements, such as carapace length (CL) (Bolten, 1999). For health
assessment, these objective data can be used to produce body condition indices that
can provide a broad measure of how the animal is faring, and can be compared
across studies and field sites. For example, either the ratio of body mass to CL or
the ratio of mass to estimated volume such as (CL 3 ) could readily be compared
among individuals and across studies.
15.3.2.4 Physical Examination
While the turtle is handled for measurements and tagging, a thorough external
physical exam should be performed. The limbs, skin, carapace, and, plastron should
be examined to determine whether they are intact or have defects (e.g., cuts or scars).
For example, is the shell smooth or does it appear to have delaminating or missing
scutes, which could be a sign of either shell infection or serious systemic disease?
The skin and shell should be examined for lumps and abnormal growths. The
abundance and types of epibiota (commensals and ectoparasites) should be noted.
The eyes should be examined to determine whether they are intact and clear. Any
obvious indications of entanglement or other fisheries interactions should be
described. The cloaca and oral cavity should be examined to identify hooks, line,
or lesions. Color and amount of mucus present as well as any odor should be noted.
Abnormalities should be described using the most objective and precise terms
possible, and illustrated with drawings and measurements. For example, a large,
raised, firm, and smooth swelling on the skin of a turtle should not be identified as
FP; even though the word “tumor” may be appropriate, it commonly evokes an
interpretation of neoplasia. Such a raised mass could be neoplasia, an abscess,
granuloma, cyst, scar, or other anomaly. If the turtle is tagged and released, at least
there is documentation and objective description of the abnormality.
Because the accurate description and documentation of suspected abnormalities
will be the most important component of any health assessment program, it is worth
discussing data records. A field data sheet has been developed for health assessment
of the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizzi (Berry and Christopher, 2001), and a basic
data sheet for stranded sea turtles is available (Shaver and Teas, 1999) that can be
modified. Data sheets that are designed as questionnaires with clear “yes,” “no,” or
categorical (multiple choice) answers for physical and behavioral examinations facilitate coding and data entry (Berry and Christopher, 2001). Categorical choices help
keep descriptive data as objective as possible, and coding these data allows data
management and development of descriptive statistics and a reference database. They
also serve as mnemonic devices, prompting the investigator to look for specific details.
Data sheets should be designed and used in a way that clearly indicates whether
a part was examined and whether an abnormality was observed. Missing data should
not be misinterpreted as negative findings. For example, were the eyes and the oral
cavity examined? The data sheet should also record whether specific samples (e.g.,
blood, biopsy, or ectoparasites) were collected. Data sheets containing line drawings
1123 book.book Page 398 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM