Ever wondered why we know so little about male sea turtles? Or why most of our knowledge primarily comes from the female half of the species?

Male sea turtles are notoriously elusive, and unlike their female counterparts, male turtles rarely venture onto beaches. This makes studying them in the wild a real challenge.

So how much do we know about male sea turtles?

In Episode 7, we welcome Brazilian Conservation Biologist, Renato Bruno, to help us unravel the mysteries of male sea turtles. Drawing from nearly a decade of experience in sea turtle research, Renato shares incredible insights - from surprising instances of giant leatherbacks mistaking boats for mates to exploring the key differences in biology and behaviour between males and females.

Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that reveals the often-overlooked lives of male sea turtles, and expands our understanding of these incredible creatures.

Links for additional reading:

• Saragoça Bruno, R., Restrepo, J.A. & Valverde, R.A. (2020). Effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation and local ocean temperature on the reproductive output of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Marine Biology.
• Bruno, R. S., Restrepo Machado, J. A., Borges Guzman, G. R., Ramos Loria, J. I., & Valverde, R. A. (2022). Biomarkers of reproduction in endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Conservation Physiology.
• Figgener, C., Bernardo, J., & Plotkin, P. T. (2022). Marine turtles are only minimally sexually size dimorphic, a pattern that is distinct from most non marine aquatic turtles. Ecology and Evolution.
• Laloë, J.-O., Schofield, G., & Hays, G. C. (2023). Climate warming and sea turtle sex ratios across the globe. Global Change Biology.
• Renato Bruno: Nat Geo Explorer

To support Olive Ridley Project’s work in sea turtle conservation, you can - Name and Adopt a wild sea turtle, Adopt a turtle patient or Donate here: https://oliveridleyproject.org/donate

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Credits:

Sea Turtle Stories podcast is presented by Olive Ridley Project

The host for the podcast series is Dr Minnie Liddell

The podcast is edited, mixed and mastered by Dev Ramkumar

The podcast series is produced and researched by Anadya Singh