BULLETIN FLORIDA MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY VOL. 38 PT. 1(4)


 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION


 Sex ratio and capture success.- Of 196 tortoises marked over the eight-year
period, 89 were male, 69 were female, and 36 were subadult or juvenile. Two
individuals were of undetermined sex. The male:female ratio of mature tortoises
was 1.3:1 and was not significantly different from 1:1 (x2 = 2.52, df = 1, p > 0.10).
Diemer (1992a) reported male:female ratios of 2:1, 1.5:1, and 0.9:1 for adult
tortoises at three north Florida sites. Auffenberg and Iverson (1979) examined 101
museum specimens and found a male:female ratio of 1.06:1.




Table 3. Recapture rates' for gopher tortoises on the Ordway Preserve, Putnam County, Florida.

 Year


 Sex 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991

 Male 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.6 3.2 11.1 6.3 10.6 7.1
 Female 0.0 0.0 11.1 0.0 13.6 4.2 9.4 13.4 25.9
 Juvenile 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.6 2.0
 All 0.0 0.0 4.3 2.7 6.6 5.6 6.4 11.2 14.1

 SThe number of marked animals captured in a year divided by the total number of marked tortoises.



 The total number of captures of known-sex individuals was not significantly
 different from 1:1 (x2 = 2.30, df = 1, p > 0.10), indicating that capture-related sex
 bias did not occur. Eighty-one marked individuals were recaptured over the
 eight-year period. Although most captures were incidental, recapture rates
 increased over time as more animals were marked (Table 3). The recapture rate for
 females was high in 1990, because I selectively trapped for telemetered females.
 Most opportunistic captures (25%) occurred in frequently traveled locations.
 Mean CL of adult male tortoises marked was 244.3 mm (n = 90; range =
 207.0-301.5; SD = 17.7). Mature female tortoises averaged 255.2 mm CL (n = 72;
 range = 221.0-298.0; SD = 16.9). The size difference between sexes was
 significant (t = 3.952, df = 160, p > 0.001). Selection may favor females with
 larger body size for increased reproductive potential (McRae et al. 1981a; Landers
 et al. 1982). The size difference between sexes may be further accentuated by