Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs
Identifying individual animals is important in understanding their ecology and behaviour, as well as providing estimates of population sizes for conservation efforts. We produce identification keys from photographs of green sea turtles to identify them while foraging in Akumal Bay, Mexico. We create...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Zoology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/317568 |
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| author | Jane R. Lloyd Miguel Á. Maldonado Richard Stafford |
| author_facet | Jane R. Lloyd Miguel Á. Maldonado Richard Stafford |
| author_sort | Jane R. Lloyd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Identifying individual animals is important in understanding their ecology and behaviour, as well as providing estimates of population sizes for conservation efforts. We produce identification keys from photographs of green sea turtles to identify them while foraging in Akumal Bay, Mexico. We create three keys, which (a) minimise the length of the key, (b) present the most obvious differential characteristics first, and (c) remove the strict dichotomy from key b. Keys were capable of identifying >99% of turtles in >2500 photographs during the six-month study period. The keys differed significantly in success rate for students to identify individual turtles, with key (c) being the best with >70% success and correctly being followed further than other keys before making a mistake. User-friendly keys are, therefore, a suitable method for the photographic identification of turtles and could be used for other large marine vertebrates in conservation or behavioural studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1344d92e2bea436d8d48219992156908 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-8477 1687-8485 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Zoology |
| spelling | doaj-art-1344d92e2bea436d8d482199921569082025-02-03T01:11:33ZengWileyInternational Journal of Zoology1687-84771687-84852012-01-01201210.1155/2012/317568317568Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from PhotographsJane R. Lloyd0Miguel Á. Maldonado1Richard Stafford2Department of Natural and Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham GL50 4AZ, UKCentro Ecológico Akumal, Akumal, 77730 Quintana Roo, MexicoLuton Institute of Research in the Applied Natural Sciences, Division of Science, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, LU1 3JU, UKIdentifying individual animals is important in understanding their ecology and behaviour, as well as providing estimates of population sizes for conservation efforts. We produce identification keys from photographs of green sea turtles to identify them while foraging in Akumal Bay, Mexico. We create three keys, which (a) minimise the length of the key, (b) present the most obvious differential characteristics first, and (c) remove the strict dichotomy from key b. Keys were capable of identifying >99% of turtles in >2500 photographs during the six-month study period. The keys differed significantly in success rate for students to identify individual turtles, with key (c) being the best with >70% success and correctly being followed further than other keys before making a mistake. User-friendly keys are, therefore, a suitable method for the photographic identification of turtles and could be used for other large marine vertebrates in conservation or behavioural studies.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/317568 |
| spellingShingle | Jane R. Lloyd Miguel Á. Maldonado Richard Stafford Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs International Journal of Zoology |
| title | Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs |
| title_full | Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs |
| title_fullStr | Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs |
| title_short | Methods of Developing User-Friendly Keys to Identify Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas L.) from Photographs |
| title_sort | methods of developing user friendly keys to identify green sea turtles chelonia mydas l from photographs |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/317568 |
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