Volume 26, Issue 78, July - December, 2025

Additional records of Nesting Attempts of Leatherback Sea Turtle in the Northern Syrian Beaches (Eastern Mediterranean)

Soher Sh. Salhab¹, Chirine S. Hussein^2♦, Amir A. Ibrahim³

¹Fisheries Resources Department, Higher Institute of Marine Research, Lattakia University, Syria
²Fisheries Resources Department, Higher Institute of Marine Research, Lattakia University, Syria
³Fisheries Resources Department, Higher Institute of Marine Research, Lattakia University, Syria

^♦Corresponding Author
Chirine S. Hussein, Fisheries Resources Department, Higher Institute of Marine Research, Lattakia University, Syria

ABSTRACT

Leatherback sea turtles were monitored along the northern coast of Syria during the nesting seasons from June 2022 to October 2024. Field surveys revealed the presence of the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in the area. Three incident cases of nesting attempts were also documented for the first time in the Syrian beach and in the Mediterranean basin as a whole. Climate changes and/or the instinctive behavior that necessitates rapid reproduction may be behind. Coastal and Marine Protected Areas are required to support the sea turtle species population in the region.

Keywords: Leatherback sea turtle, Nesting behavior, Syrian coast, Turtle distribution, Sandy beach

Species, 2026, 27(79), e13s3277

PDF

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v27i79.e13s3277

Published: 21 May 2026