Dàlmata is the name of a female loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) that laid two clutches in less than two weeks along the Catalan and Valencian Mediterranean beaches. This double nesting event is an exceptional occurrence that reinforces the importance of scientific monitoring and public involvement in the conservation of this endangered species that makes long migrations in areas such as the western Mediterranean.
The first clutch of eggs of the season was laid on 25 June on the beach of Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Girona), where Dàlmata laid 101 eggs. The second, with 129 eggs, was laid on the night of 8 July on the beach of El Puig (Valencia). In a context of biodiversity protection, identifying several nests of the same female during a single season allows progress to be made in the study of the process of colonization of new nesting areas in the western Mediterranean by this species.
Dàlmata is part of the scientific monitoring of the C. caretta species that is carried out through interdisciplinary projects such as Life Turtlenest or InGeNi-Caretta, initiatives involving the University of Barcelona, the UB's Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), the Technological Centre in Biodiversity, Ecology and Environmental and Food Technology and Management (BETA) of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, the University of Valencia, the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), in collaboration with marine fauna recovery centres and with the active support of citizens.
