First Record of Triplet Embryos in Sea Turtles: Evidence of Natural Polyembryony in a Wild Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Nest From Guanahacabibes, Cuba
6 affiliations
- 1Centro de Investigaciones Marinas Universidad de La Habana Havana Cuba
- 2Biodiversidad, Conservación e Investigación A.C. Nuevo León Mexico
- 3Facultad de Biología Universidad de La Habana Havana Cuba
- 4Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM Mexico City Mexico
- 5Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala‐UNAM Estado de Mexico Mexico
- 6División de Biología Experimental y Aplicada CICESE Ensenada Baja California Mexico
Abstract
Polyembryony is an exceptionally rare developmental phenomenon in reptiles and is typically documented as isolated cases of monozygotic twinning. Evidence of triplet embryos in chelonians is particularly scarce and has previously been reported only in managed or captive conditions. We report and describe an exceptional case of polyembryonic triplet embryos from a wild green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nest on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Cuba—representing one of only two confirmed chelonian triplet records and the first documented under natural incubation conditions in a sea turtle nest. The nest achieved 91.6% hatching success and normal hatchling performance; three of the 11 unhatched eggs (27.3%) contained embryos with congenital malformations, including a polyembryonic triplet embryo configuration. Morphological assessment, developmental staging, and yolk sac examination demonstrated three embryos attached to a single continuous yolk mass, each possessing an independent vitelline vascular network, consistent with a monozygotic origin. Marked developmental asymmetry and craniofacial malformations in one embryo are compatible with resource limitation and asymmetric sibling competition within a shared yolk environment. Histological analysis of urogenital tissues revealed ovarian‐type gonads in all three embryos, consistent with the expected female‐biased sex ratios at higher incubation temperatures. These findings provide robust evidence of polyembryony under natural incubation conditions and highlight the developmental constraints inherent to multi‐embryo development in sea turtles, underscoring the importance of long‐term nest monitoring for detecting rare embryological events.
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BibTeX
@article{azanzaricardo2026first,
title = {{First Record of Triplet Embryos in Sea Turtles: Evidence of Natural Polyembryony in a Wild Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Nest From Guanahacabibes, Cuba}},
author = {Julia Azanza‐Ricardo and Annelisse Bárcenas‐Ibarra and Kevin Armando Domínguez‐León and Randy Calderón‐Peña and Yunaisy Guerrero‐Esquijarosa and Eduardo E. Colin‐Hidalgo and José A. Marmolejo‐Valencia and Horacio Merchant‐Larios and Daniel J. Sánchez‐Ochoa and Horacio de laCueva},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74382},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.74382},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - First Record of Triplet Embryos in Sea Turtles: Evidence of Natural Polyembryony in a Wild Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Nest From Guanahacabibes, Cuba
AU - Julia Azanza‐Ricardo
AU - Annelisse Bárcenas‐Ibarra
AU - Kevin Armando Domínguez‐León
AU - Randy Calderón‐Peña
AU - Yunaisy Guerrero‐Esquijarosa
AU - Eduardo E. Colin‐Hidalgo
AU - José A. Marmolejo‐Valencia
AU - Horacio Merchant‐Larios
AU - Daniel J. Sánchez‐Ochoa
AU - Horacio de laCueva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74382
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.74382
AB - Polyembryony is an exceptionally rare developmental phenomenon in reptiles and is typically documented as isolated cases of monozygotic twinning. Evidence of triplet embryos in chelonians is particularly scarce and has previously been reported only in managed or captive conditions. We report and describe an exceptional case of polyembryonic triplet embryos from a wild green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nest on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Cuba—representing one of only two confirmed chelonian triplet records and the first documented under natural incubation conditions in a sea turtle nest. The nest achieved 91.6% hatching success and normal hatchling performance; three of the 11 unhatched eggs (27.3%) contained embryos with congenital malformations, including a polyembryonic triplet embryo configuration. Morphological assessment, developmental staging, and yolk sac examination demonstrated three embryos attached to a single continuous yolk mass, each possessing an independent vitelline vascular network, consistent with a monozygotic origin. Marked developmental asymmetry and craniofacial malformations in one embryo are compatible with resource limitation and asymmetric sibling competition within a shared yolk environment. Histological analysis of urogenital tissues revealed ovarian‐type gonads in all three embryos, consistent with the expected female‐biased sex ratios at higher incubation temperatures. These findings provide robust evidence of polyembryony under natural incubation conditions and highlight the developmental constraints inherent to multi‐embryo development in sea turtles, underscoring the importance of long‐term nest monitoring for detecting rare embryological events.
SN - 2045-7758
ER -