A Simplified Method for Determining Sex in Hatchling Sea Turtles

Hydric environment and sex determination in the flatback turtle (Natator depressus Garman) (Chelonia : Cheloniidae)

“…Visual determination of sex by the gross appearance of the gonads has been shown to be unreliable for sea turtle hatchlings (Spotila et al 1983;Whitmore et al 1985;Mrosovsky and Benabib 1990), making histological examination necessary for most species. The technique developed by van der Heiden and Briseño-Dueñas (1985), in which glycerin is used to render the gonad transparent and make internal structures visible, has been shown to work well to confirm the sex of Lepidochelys olivacea hatchlings (McCoy et al 1983;van der Heiden and Briseño-Dueñas 1985). However, this technique does not work for either C. caretta or D. coriacea (Mrosovsky and Benabib 1990) and has been criticised by Mrosovsky and Godfrey (1995).…”

Sex Determination in Green Turtle Hatchlings: Geometric Morphometry and Molecular Sex Markers

“…Therefore, researchers have been employing different techniques to assess the sex of hatchlings. For example, gonadal histology (Merchant-Larios et al, 1989;Godfrey & Mrosovsky, 2006), radioimmunoassay to measure testosterone levels in blood or chorioallantoic fluid (Gross et al, 1995), laparoscopy on live post-hatchlings (Wyneken et al, 2007), direct observations of the gonads in situ (McCoy et al 1983), and clearing of gonads in toto (van der Heiden et al, 1985), quantitative sex identification based on the histological characteristics of the gonads and paramesonephric ducts (Ikonomopoulou et al, 2012) have been used to determine the sex. Some of these techniques require the sacrificing of animals and a complicated long laboratory processes.…”

Effects of incubation temperature on genome-wide DNA methylation and expression of sexual development genes in the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta

“…Unfortunately, some earlier sexing techniques used in turtles are either lethal, as they rely on gonadal inspection and/or gonadal tissue collection (Mrosovsky & Benabib 1990;van der Heiden et al 1985), while others require special training or equipment, such as laparoscopy/endoscopy of live animals, radioimmunoassay (RIA) of circulating hormone levels, or immunohistochemistry (Kuchling & Kitimasak 2009;Miller et al 1955;Owens et al 1978;Rostal et al 1994a;Tezak et al 2017). Non-invasive geometric morphometric techniques were also developed for a variety of species (Boone & Holt 2001;Michel-Morfin et al 2001;Sönmez et al 2016;), but fast and simple field techniques remain elusive for young turtles.…”