Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle
Podocnemis unifilis
River turtles take cover by turning their head sideways under the shell. Other turtles pull their entire head into the shell, which provides them with better protection. The female lays a few dozen eggs in a hole it has dug into sand by water. After a few months in the ground, the young hatch, dig themselves out of the sand, and run to the safety of the water.
Conservation
Both eggs and adult turtles are commonly used for food in the Amazon and Orinoco regions.
The species is part of the CITES convention, which regulates the international trade of endangered or threatened animals and plants.
Tropical house Amazonia
Endangerment
Distribution
Habitat
Diet
Size
Lifespan
Over 30 years
Scientific classification
Order: Testudines
Family: Pelomedusidae