Survival rates and causes of mortality of Testudo graeca hatchlings in southwestern Spain

We assessed mortality causes and survival rates for 59 free ranging Testudo graeca hatchlings. Individuals were followed for varying lengths of time from emergence from the nest in August-September to April using thread-trailing. Hatchlings died from unknown causes, mainly soon after emergence and belonged mainly to clutches which contained also unhatched eggs. Other causes of mortality were predation, car traffic, and trampling by large ungulates during the activity season (autumn and spring). Predation was low, and available data on potential predator diets also indicate low predation upon hatchlings. We found seasonal differences in survival; highest survival was in winter and lowest in spring. The overall survival rate for the 8 mo period was 0.39. Mortality causes registered during continuous monitoring were similar to anecdotal observations recorded over an 11 yr period.