Title

Raccoon Removal On Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches

Keywords

Beach ecology; Caretta caretta; Diet; Dispersal; Loggerhead turtle; Predator removal; Procyon lotor; Raccoon; Stable isotopes

Abstract

Predator removal can be an effective strategy for reducing mortality rates of prey species. Because removal programs must continue indefinitely to remain effective, trapping creates a source-sink dynamic that can alter predator spatial distribution and demography. We investigated the intraspecific effects of predator removal by comparing 2 Florida, USA, raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations that are managed to decrease sea turtle egg mortality. Long-term removal created an extremely male-biased population (>10:1), but the proportion of juveniles did not differ between sites. Stable isotope analyses indicate that raccoons on the removal beach originated from inland habitats. Our results suggest that adult males dominate the recolonization of removal areas and the presence of juveniles on the beach is due to predispersal behavior. Because raccoons are highly omnivorous and mobile, intensive management at a small scale may have broader impacts across the landscape that predator-removal programs should consider.

Publication Date

6-1-2007

Publication Title

Journal of Wildlife Management

Volume

71

Issue

4

Number of Pages

1234-1237

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.2193/2006-014

Socpus ID

43049093294 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/43049093294

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