ESTIMATING THE AGE OF JUVENILE LOGGERHEAD SEA-TURTLES IN THE NORTH-ATLANTIC

Analysis of previously published records shows that the modal size of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) found around the Uni ted Kingdom (the area north of 49 degrees N and east of 12 degrees W) is a carapace length of 20.5 cm. These turtles are believed to origina te from nesting beaches in North America (principally Florida). We est imated their trans-Atlantic drift time using data from satellite-track ed buoys and from a mathematical model and, hence, estimated that the modal age of these juvenile turtles was between 1.80 and 3.75 years.