First record of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta nesting on the beach Zouaraa (North of Tunisia)

Abstract

We summarize all the data of nest emplacement, incubation period, emergence of hatchlings and nest study of the first reported nesting event of a loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta (Reptilia: Cheloniidae) in the northern Tunisian coasts. The nest was laid in the Zouaraa beach of Nefza village (Governorate of Beja) in July 2016. The incubation period was about two months. The nesting female seems to be neophyte, reproducing for the first time. Future beach surveys will determine whether this is a sporadic nesting event or whether loggerheads nest henceforth in these coasts.