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Detailed post-breeding movement data is presented for hawksbill turtles tracked by satellite telemetry from Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Seven nesting females and 8 breeding males were tracked. Females traveled for 3 to 53 d to reach their foraging grounds, swimming distances of 84 to 2051 km (mean 867 km, n = 7) at average speeds of 23.5 to 38.7 km d -1 (n = 7). Males traveled for <1 to 22 d, covering distances of < 2 to 476 km (mean 101 km, n = 8) at average speeds of 13.0 to 24.7 km d -1 (n = 5). One of the tracked males remained at the Mona Island breeding grounds for 11 mo before being recaptured there. The migration of 2 other male hawksbill turtles returning to Mona Island the following year from their foraging grounds was also documented. Descriptions of the foraging habitats used by these adult turtles are provided. The significant differences observed in migratory range between males and females are interpreted in an evolutionary context of food abundance predictability; an alternative hypothesis of geographic variation in mortality rates is also considered. KEY WORDS: Hawksbill turtle · Eretmochelys imbricata · Migration · Mona Island · Puerto RicoResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

Carapace length growth data were obtained from 197 hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata which were marked and recaptured from 1992 to 2000 at feeding grounds of Mona and Monito Islands, Puerto Rico. Straight-line carapace length (SCL) upon initial capture ranged from 20.0 to 84.5 cm. SCL growth rates ranged from -0.59 to 9.08 cm yr -1 , were non-monotonic, and averaged highest in turtles measuring 34 to 35 cm. Somatic growth rates varied by site within the study area, with turtles from the aggregation at Monito Island growing on average 2.1 times faster than residents of Mona Island habitats. Aggregation density and body condition index (body mass SCL -3 ) were also highest at Monito Island. Hawksbills recruiting to Monito Island at 23 cm SCL are expected to reach maturity less than 14.7 yr later. Growth rates in the turtles studied are similar to those reported for other Caribbean localities, but faster than hawksbills of the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Hawksbills appear capable of utilizing habitats of widely varying quality, with prey abundance exerting a strong effect on somatic growth rates.

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