The nesting behavior of the green turtle (Chetonia mydas) at Ras AI-Hadd, Oman, was conducted under two nesting periods; high-density (peak) nesting (June-October) and tow-density (non-peak) nesting (November-May). During these two periods the behavioral nesting phases had both differences and similarities. Based on the number of turtles (20G-400/night) during highdensity nesting, with limited beach space, nest site selection became very competitive and nesting in the tide zone was more frequent. During low-density nesting (10-20/night), the reverse behavior occurred, with nesting in the tide zone being less frequent and turtles having a greater selectivity in choosing their sites. Sand moisture content may also be a factor in nest building. During non-peak nesting, sand moisture is low because of dry desert winds, causing nest collapse and significantly higher nest abandonments than during high-density nesting when the prevailing wind is from the ocean and sand moisture is adequate. During peak nesting, because of extreme crowding conditions, emerging turtles colliding with nesting turtles caused some of them (ca.2OVo) to abort their nesting process. This occurred only ifthe nesting turtles had not yet oviposited. Stressful procedures were performed on some turtles during nesting: blood sampling from the cervical sinuses and tagging the front flippers. Following these procedures, a significantly higher number of the turtles (l7Vo) remained on the beach and continued their nesting exercise during peak nesting compared to only 2-6Vo dunngnon'peak.

The nesting behavior of the green turtle (Chetonia mydas) at Ras AI-Hadd, Oman, was conducted under two nesting periods; high-density (peak) nesting (June-October) and tow-density (non-peak) nesting (November-May). During these two periods the behavioral nesting phases had both differences and simil...