Manual and Remote Techniques to Measure Nonconventional Marine Turtle Morphometrics

Sea turtle morphometrics yield critical insights into demography, life history, and conservation status; however, methods in obtaining manual parameters are often invasive and not generally standardized because of measurement variation across measurement modality. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive guidance on all established morphometrics exists, nor does any existing literature prescribe methods for remote measurements (such as using a stereo-video camera), which may vary slightly in their approach compared to physical measurements. Here we provide a morphometric guide that recommends manual and remote techniques to measure and standardize morphometric parameters of Chelonid sea turtles, with a primary focus on green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles.