Evaluating Noninvasive Methods of Sex Identification in Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Hatchlings.

The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of analyzing sex hormone profiles to sex green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings. To assess the efficacy of this method, 200 eggs of C. mydas were incubated at five different temperatures, and a chemiluminescent immunoassay system was used to determine the sex hormone profiles (estrogen and testosterone) in the amniotic fluid (from eggshells) and plasma of a subset of C. mydas hatchlings. Results were compared to a standard histological technique and revealed that evaluating sex hormone profiles from amniotic fluid is an effective, noninvasive technique for determining hatchling gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]