Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle
Podocnemis unifilis

CLASS

Reptilia

ORDER

Testudines

FAMILY

Podocnemididae

Range

Amazon and Orinoco river systems in South America

Habitat

Tributaries and lakes; flooded forests

Diet

Fruit and plant material including fish and small invertebrates

Facts

• They are considered side-necked turtles because they cannot pull their heads into their shells.
• Characterized by its dark upper shell and yellow spots on the head, which fade with age.
• One of the largest South American river turtles.
• Diurnal and is most active in mid-morning and afternoon.
• Groups of turtles can be seen basking in the sun on logs or stones in the middle of rivers and on the shore.
• Very aquatic. Come out of the water only to bask.
• Females lay their eggs in the peak of the dry season and the nests are sometimes destroyed by rising flood waters.

Conservation

The greatest threat to this species has been the Yekuana Indians, who regularly consumed them as a food source. The number of non-Indian poachers increased as demand for turtle eggs and meat increased.