great insight Doug...more stuff...

Posted by Dean Alessandrini on April 05, 2002 at 07:37:09:

In Reply to: Have I got a BIG spoon to stir this pot.... posted by Doug T on April 04, 2002 at 23:21:47:

ok, so one thing we know for sure is that there are different ways to arrive at successful results in captivity.

Doug, I know for a fact that you are correct in your assumption that indigos do not EXCLUSIVELY use, and are not completely dependent on GT burrows.

They have used various burrows, trash piles, logs, etc as primary retreats on KSC.

NO nests whatsoever have been found yet there. There is a grad student, Karen Dyer, of Central FL university who is currently (as we speak) intensively tracking several gravid females in the hopes of finding where they lay, and potentially even then tracking the juvuniles. It will be HUGE if she actually finds a nest, and finds out if it is actually in a GT burrow.

They were originally going to implant transmitters inside of saline-filled condoms into the oviducts of several of the gravid girls, (to track the eggs themselves when they lay) but thought the risk was too high to try it this year.

So...she's simply going to follow them very close as they are getting ready to lay.

Man I wish I was down there helping with this.

anyway...in the Northern and central part of the range, they DO use GT burrows as a PRIMARY, but not EXCLUSIVE retreat and mating spot.

Here's a crazy story...last year, an implanted female "resided" in a certain GT burrow. She was repeatedly tracked to this burrow over a period of several months. Then she was found in December by a male who was also implanted. He entered her burrow. (exciting stuff) so they spent 3 days together in the burrow (assumedly breeding) then...SHE left the burrow, crusied out of RANGE of the tracking device (8 miles or so)
NEVER to return !! where (and WHY) did she go?

There are still a lot of mysteries.

We also know that indigos reside in extreme south FLorida where it is MUCH wetter and where the tortoises don't even range.

THere has been very little (if any) research done on the South FLorida populations.

food for thought...

Dean Alessandrini

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• Re: great insight Doug...more stuff... Jerry Kruse 04/05/02 (0)

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: ok, so one thing we know for sure is that there are different ways to arrive at successful results in captivity. : Doug, I know for a fact that you are correct in your assumption that indigos do not EXCLUSIVELY use, and are not completely dependent on GT burrows. : They have used various burrows, trash piles, logs, etc as primary retreats on KSC. : NO nests whatsoever have been found yet there. There is a grad student, Karen Dyer, of Central FL university who is currently (as we speak) intensively tracking several gravid females in the hopes of finding where they lay, and potentially even then tracking the juvuniles. It will be HUGE if she actually finds a nest, and finds out if it is actually in a GT burrow. : They were originally going to implant transmitters inside of saline-filled condoms into the oviducts of several of the gravid girls, (to track the eggs themselves when they lay) but thought the risk was too high to try it this year. : So...she's simply going to follow them very close as they are getting ready to lay. : Man I wish I was down there helping with this. : anyway...in the Northern and central part of the range, they DO use GT burrows as a PRIMARY, but not EXCLUSIVE retreat and mating spot. : Here's a crazy story...last year, an implanted female "resided" in a certain GT burrow. She was repeatedly tracked to this burrow over a period of several months. Then she was found in December by a male who was also implanted. He entered her burrow. (exciting stuff) so they spent 3 days together in the burrow (assumedly breeding) then...SHE left the burrow, crusied out of RANGE of the tracking device (8 miles or so) : NEVER to return !! where (and WHY) did she go? : There are still a lot of mysteries. : We also know that indigos reside in extreme south FLorida where it is MUCH wetter and where the tortoises don't even range. : THere has been very little (if any) research done on the South FLorida populations. : food for thought... : Dean Alessandrini

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