#Giant South American River Turtle

[rabbitcruiser]

Turtle Adoption Day 

Turtle Adoption Day is a "day of action for the protection of endangered reptiles." Specifically, the day supports the welfare of turtles. It appears to have been created by a woman named Christine Shaw, who made a blog post on November 25, 2011, on the website of Found Animals, an animal welfare organization that works to find new homes for distressed and abandoned animals. The day was first observed two days later.

Having a turtle as a pet is a large undertaking and can be a lot of work. Turtles have a long lifespan, meaning having one as a pet is a long-term commitment. This may not be ideal for many prospective owners. Turtles also need specialized—and many times expensive—care when it comes to their food, water supply, and cages, which also may not make them ideal pets for many. Additionally, turtles are often carriers of salmonella. Generally, conservation organizations take the view that turtles belong in the wild, not in homes as pets.

Still, many people do get turtles as pets, and Turtle Adoption Day is about reacting positively to some negative decisions others have made in this regard. Some people who get turtles as pets treat them like throw-away pets: they purchase baby turtles, view them as mini-turtles, and give them away or release them into the wild when they grow. When turtles are released into the wild, their chances of survival are slim. Additionally, many turtles are endangered species and are hunted by humans and have threatened habitats. Turtles released in the wild can also become invasive species. They can multiply, and may then damage flora and fauna. But, some turtle owners take them to animal shelters when they get bigger and they don't know how to care for them, instead of releasing them into the wild. It is these turtles that Turtle Adoption Day works to protect.

Turtles live in almost all climates around the world, and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Most species are found in southeastern North America and South Asia. Only five species can be found in Europe. Turtles are part of the order of Testudines, an order that also includes tortoises and terrapins. Testudines are split into two suborders: Cryptodira and Pleurodira. Most turtles are Cryptodira. The main difference between the two is that Cryptodira retract their heads straight back into their shells, while Pleurodira fold their necks to the side when they retract their heads. However, sea turtles, which are Cryptodira, are unable to retract their heads into their shells. Turtles are then split into 13 families and 75 genera, and there are over 300 species in total.

Turtles spend most of their time in the water. Freshwater turtles live in ponds and lakes, coming on land to bask in the sun. Sea turtles spend most of their time in the ocean, coming onshore to lay eggs on the sand. Most of these webbed-feet reptiles have hard shells that protect them from predators. The top part of their shell is called a carapace and the bottom is called a plastron. The carapace is made up of about 60 bones, and is covered with plates made of keratin called scutes. Besides hard-shelled turtles, there are are also soft-shelled turtles and leatherbacks, which have a thick skin covering their carapace.

Turtles are not very social animals. They are most active during the day, when they spend their time searching for food. Most are omnivores, eating animals such as fish, insects, mollusks, crayfish, snakes, frogs, worms, clams, and other turtles, as well as grasses, algae, and other plants. Their diet varies depending on their species, with some subsisting on a mostly vegetarian diet.

Like birds, turtles have beaks and no teeth. They also are egg-laying animals. After digging a nest on land in sand or dirt, they lay their eggs and leave; they don't nurture their young once they are born. Turtles lay between 20 and 200 eggs at a time, depending on their species. Most of their eggs are eaten by carnivores before they hatch, and many are eaten after they are hatched, as the baby turtles do not yet have fully-developed shells to protect themselves.

Turtles vary in size, but some may grow very large. The largest freshwater turtle in North America is the alligator snapping turtle, which can grow up to 2.5 feet in length and weigh up to 200 pounds. The largest sea turtle is the leatherback turtle, which can grow to about 4.5 to 5.25 feet in length and weigh between 600 and 1500 pounds. The largest soft-shelled turtle is the Yangtze giant softshell turtle, which can grow up to 3.6 feet across and weigh as much as 309 pounds.

Many species of turtles are threatened, endangered, or critically endangered. Additionally, many turtles who were once pets have ended up in shelters because their owners weren't able to properly care for them. This makes it even more necessary that there is a day dedicated to caring for and protecting turtles. Today, on Turtle Adoption Day, we do our part to protect turtles by adopting those without homes.

How to Observe Turtle Adoption Day

The most appropriate way to observe the day is to adopt a turtle that was once someone's pet. Turtles can be adopted through Found Animals or Petfinder, or through a reptile rescue organization. They can also be found in local listings such as Craigslist, as well as at local animal shelters. By giving them a new and proper home, you can help preserve one turtle's life, and help protect turtles in general, many species of which face endangerment. If you can't provide a home for a turtle, you could donate to a reptile rescue organization.

Before you adopt a turtle, it is imperative that you are prepared to do so. You must make sure you know what type of environment turtles need in order to live in captivity, and you must have a large enough habitat for your new turtle to live. For example, turtles need at least ten gallons of water per one inch of shell, and for each additional turtle, you need another ten to twenty gallons of water. They need a dry basking area where they can crawl around and dry off, they need access to lamps that give off heat and UVA and UVB rays, they need a submersible heater to keep water at a warm enough temperature, and they need a water conditioning solution and a filter. When adopting a turtle you must also remember that having one as a pet is a long-term commitment, they can be a lot of work, they can take up a lot of your time, and they can be expensive.

Source

[hleavesk]

life.

(source: reuters | 13 jan 2023)

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released video footage showing hundreds of thousands of baby giant South American river turtles emerging from nesting beaches along the Guapore/Intenez River, along the border of Brazil and Bolivia.

[typhlonectes]

Newly discovered fossil of giant turtle is named after Stephen King novel character

Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum

An international research team led by Dr. Gabriel S. Ferreira from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen has described a new species of giant turtle from the late Pleistocene. Peltocephalus maturin is between 40,000 and 9,000 years old and comes from the Brazilian Amazon. With a shell length of about 180 centimeters, the species is one of the largest known freshwater turtles in the world. The armored reptile was named after the giant turtle "Maturin," a fictional character created by best-selling author Stephen King. With a maximum shell length of 140 centimeters, the Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle (Chitra chitra) together with the approximately 110-centimeter-long South American river turtle (Podocnemis expansa) is one of the largest freshwater turtles alive today...

Read more: https://phys.org/news/2024-03-newly-fossil-giant-turtle-stephen.html

[pleistocene-pride]

Melanosuchus niger better known as the black caiman is a species of crocodilian which is endemic to the South American countries of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, French Guinea, and Guyana. Here they largely inhabit rivers, swamps, wetlands, and lakes particularly around the Amazonia. These large semi aquatic ambush predators feed upon fish, invertebrates, amphibians, snakes, lizards, turtles, other crocodilians, various birds, monkeys, sloths, armadillos, rodents, deer, tapir, coati, peccary, cattle, horses, pigs, canines, otters, dolphins, and felines up to the occasional cougar or jaguar. Black caimen are themselves occasionally preyed upon by green anacondas, giant river otters, and jaguars. Most adult black caiman average around 7.3 to 14ft (2.2 to 4.3m) in length and 210 to 770lbs (95 to 350kgs) in weight, however some old and exceptionally large males reaching upwards of 20ft (6.1m) long and 2,400lbs (1,100kgs) are not unheard of. This makes the black caiman not only the largest predator in the amazon, but also the largest caiman, largest member of the Alligatoridae family, one of the largest living crocodilians, and one of the largest reptiles alive today. The black caiman has dark-colored, scaly skin which helps the animal in both camouflage and thermoregulation. The lower jaw has grey to brown banding, and pale yellow or white bands are present across the flanks of the body. Compared to other caiman species, the black caiman is distinctly more robustly built, with a large head, narrow snout, big eyes, and a bony ridge extending from above the eyes down the snout. Breeding occurs near the end of the dry season, during such a time females build nests out of soil and vegetation. Here they lay 30 to 65 eggs which incubate for around 6 weeks. Upon hatching the young will call out to there mother who will help dig them out and carry them to the water in her mouth. She will continue to guard and care for them for several months. Under ideal conditions a black caiman will reach sexual maturity at around 20 years and may live up to 80 years.

[brynns-travel-blog]

Caiman House in Yupukari Village, North Rupununi Guyana.

I think I may have found paradise on Earth.

I visited during the dry season, but in the wet, everything the light touches is flooded by one of two neighbouring river systems.

The Mapuke people were so welcoming and full of knowledge about their breathtaking environment. Caiman House EcoLodge was beautiful and super comfortable and activities were balanced by plenty of rest during the hottest part of the day and plentiful fresh food, tailored to guests’ preferences.

We went on a caiman capture trip to support research into black caiman populations, visited the village’s turtle conservation project, saw the blue backed manakin on a birdwatching walk, saw giant anteaters and giant otters and the Agame heron, and hundreds of other creatures I’ll never remember the names of.

If you’re looking for somewhere to go as a South American alternative to the African Safari, I cannot recommend the Rupununi region enough. And I’ll put in a special word for Caiman House - it’s run by and for the community and delivering training and opportunities to a community of around a thousand people. The guides are working to develop more remote and immersive opportunities and the money from the lodge is supporting programs to develop local artists and crafters into independent sellers, and supporting women to establish commercially successful cassava processing in nearby villages. The staff all rotate through from other roles in the village to share skills around and I did not meet a single person who wasn’t unbelievable generous, knowledgeable, and absolutely thrilled to share their home with tourists.

[seewetter]

Mythic Creatures by Culture & Region

Part 2: Settler (Colonial) & Diasporic Tales of Australia & the Americas

Overview here.

• Australian Settler Folktales Drop Bear; Easter Bilby; Oozlum Bird (oozlum bird also in Britain)

Canadian Settler Folktales

Cadborosaurus B.C.; Cressie; Igopogo Barrie; Manipogo; Memphre; Mussie; Red Lady; Thetis Lake Monster; Turtle Lake Monster

USAmerican Settler folktales including African diaspora

Agropelter, Maine & Ohio; Alfred Bulltop Stormalong Massachussets; Altamaha-ha in Georgia, U.S.A, see Muskogee; Anansi is Akan (which includes the Agona, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akyem, Anyi, Ashanti, Baoulé, Bono, Chakosi, Fante, Kwahu, Sefwi, Wassa, Ahanta, and Nzema) also found in African American lore; Red Ghost (Arizona camel with skeleton on its back); Augerino western USA, including Colorado; Axehandle hound Minnesota and Wisconsin; Ball-tailed cat; Beaman Monster; Bear Lake Monster; Beast of Bladenboro; Beast of Busco; Bell Witch; Belled buzzard American South; Bessie northeast Ohio and Michigan; Bigfoot; Black Dog; Blafard; Bloody Bones; Bloody Mary; Boo hag; Br'er Rabbit; Brown Mountain Lights; Cactus cat American Southwest; Calafia Amazon Queen (Caliph) that California is named after; Champ; Chessie; Dark Watchers; Demon Cat Washington D.C.; Dewey Lake Monster; Dover Demon; Dungavenhooter Maine, Michigan; Emperor Norton; Enfield Monster (NOT Enfield); Flathead Lake Monster; Flatwoods Monster; Flying Africans; Fouke Monster Arkansas; Fur-bearing trout; Gallinipper; Gillygaloo; Glawackus; Gloucester sea serpent; Golden Bear; Goofus Bird; Gumberoo; Hidebehind; Hillbilly Beast of Kentucky; Hodag; Honey Island Swamp Monster; Hoop Snake; Hudson River Monster; Hugag; Jackalope; Jersey Devil; Joint Snake; Jonathan Moulton; Lady Featherflight; Lagahoo; Lake Worth Monster; Lava bear Oregon, appear to have been real animals but not a unique species; Letiche (Cajun folktale, from descendants of the Acadian expulsion) Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp; Loveland Frog; Ludwig the Bloodsucker; Mãe-do-Ouro; Mami Wata also African; Maryland Goatman; Melon-heads; Michigan Dogman; Milton lizard; Mogollon Monster; Momo the Monster; Mothman; Nain Rouge Detroit, Michigan; New Jersey folktales; North Shore Monster; Onza; Ozark Howler; Pope Lick Monster; Proctor Valley Monster; Railroad Bill; Red Ghost; Red Lady; Reptilian; Resurrection Mary; Sharlie; Sidehill Gouger; Signifying monkey; Skunk Ape; Snallygaster; Snipe Hunt; Snow Snake; Splintercat; Squonk; Tahoe Tessie; Tailypo; Teakettler; The Witch of Saratoga; Tuttle Bottoms Monster; Two-Toed Tom; Walgren Lake Monster; Wampus Cat; White River Monster; Wild Man of the Navidad

Latin American Folklore

Aido Hwedo, Haiti & also in Benin; Alebrije (born from a dream, Mexican paper mache folk art); Baccoo could be based off Abiku of Yoruba lore; Bestial Beast bestial centaur; Boiuna; Boto and Boto_and_Dolphin_Spirits; Bruja; Bumba Meu Boi; Burrokeet; Cadejo; Camahueto; Capelobo; Carbuncle; Carranco; Chasca El Salvador; Chickcharney; Ciguapa Dominica; Cipitio; Damballa; Day of the Dead; Death; Douen; Duende; Duppy; El Sombrerón Guatemala; Folktales of Mexico; Headless Mule; Hombre Gato; Honduran Creatures; Huay Chivo; Ibo loa (also Igbo in West Africa); Jumbee; Kasogonagá (Toba in Argentina); La Bolefuego; La Diablesse; La Llorona; La mula herrada; La Sayona; Lang Bobi Suzi; Madre de aguas; Mama D'Leau; Minhocão; Mono Grande; Monster of Lake Fagua; Monster of Lake Tota; Muan; Muelona; Nahuelito; Obia also a word for a West African mythological creature (see article); Papa Bois; Patagon aka Patagonian Giant; Patasola; Phantome (Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana); Pishtaco; Princess Eréndira; Quimbanda; Romãozinho; Saci; Sayona ; Sihuanaba; Sisimoto; Soucouyant; Succarath; Tapire-iauara; Tata Duende; The Cu Bird; The Silbón; Tulevieja; Tunda; Zombie Bolivia; Abchanchu; Acalica; El T��o Colombia; Colombian Creatures; El Hombre Caimán; Tunda

Please note that some of these beings (those from Latin America or from diasporic African religions like Santeria, Vodun and Candomble) are sacred and be responsible about their use in art (writing etc.).

Notify me of any mistakes or to add disclaimers when something is considered sacred and off-limits.

[jenefox]

Scientists just documented the world’s largest hatching of baby turtles

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

[rjzimmerman]

What are we seeing here?

Though they reach up to 200 pounds at maturity, the Giant South American River Turtle starts small—and therefore vulnerable to predators. To improve their chances for survival, hatchlings in some areas use mass birth to increase their survival. That’s what happened in December in a protected nesting area along Brazil’s Purus River, a tributary of the Amazon. 71,000 hatchlings emerged from their nests on the sandy beach in just one day, followed by another 21,000 a few days later. And WCS Brazil conservationists were lucky enough to catch it on video. It’s truly awe-inspiring to see tens of thousands of newborn turtles joining together to make the journey to the water’s edge.

[wowhealthfitness20]

Turtle Tsunami; 92000 Giant South American River Turtles Hatched In Brazil River | ब्राजील में नदी किनारे आई कछुओं की सुनामी, 92 हजार से अधिक कछुए पैदा हुए; वीडियो में दिखा दुर्लभ नजारा

Turtle Tsunami; 92000 Giant South American River Turtles Hatched In Brazil River | ब्राजील में नदी किनारे आई कछुओं की सुनामी, 92 हजार से अधिक कछुए पैदा हुए; वीडियो में दिखा दुर्लभ नजारा

Hindi News Happylife Turtle Tsunami; 92000 Giant South American River Turtles Hatched In Brazil River Ads से है परेशान? बिना Ads खबरों के लिए इनस्टॉल करें दैनिक भास्कर ऐप रियो डी जेनेरियोएक घंटा पहले कॉपी लिंक इनकी देखभाल करने वाली ब्राजील वाइल्डलाइफ कंजर्वेशन सोसायटी ने जारी किया वीडियो अंडे और मांस की तस्करी के कारण इन साउथ अमेरिकन रिवर टर्टल्स की संख्या घट रही है ब्राजील में पुरुस नदी के…

[rabbitcruiser]

World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day is celebrated on May 23 of every year. The World Turtle Day promoted yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue which is to bring attention to increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, that inspire human action to help them survive and succeed.World Turtle Day is celebrated around the spheroid in a variation of ways, from dressing up as turtles also by wearing green summer dresses to saving turtles caught on roadways, to research projects. Turtle Day lesson plans and craft designs promote teaching about turtles in classrooms. World Turtle Day is also to celebrate the great reptiles with their place in the world, and this encourages people to take action to protect them, both the common pet turtle and the ever jeopardized sea turtle.

“World Turtle Day is an annual opportunity to reflect on the myriad of threats facing turtles and tortoises and what we can do to protect them.”

History of World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day was created by American Tortoise Rescue in 1990. The term “WORLD TURTLE DAY” is branded by Susan Tellem of Malibu, California American Tortoise Rescue is certified by state and federal companies as a nonprofit corporation to provide for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle. Orphans that cannot affirm because of ill health remain in the care of American Tortoise Rescue for the balance of their lives. Chase’s Book of Annual Events, the day was created as an annual observance to help people to protect turtles and tortoises and to disappear their habitats globally. Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson are the founders of the rescue American Tortoise Rescue defend the humane treatment of all animals, containing reptiles. Since 1990, ATR has placed about 3,000 tortoises and turtles in caring homes and also assist law enforcement when undersize and compromised turtles are impounded and provides helpful information which has referrals to persons with sick and abandoned turtles.

In 2013, For over 5,500 students, 160 free Turtle Day Lesson planned and teaching materials were sent out to classrooms. Lesson plans were provided by the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group, an organization that is open to all people interested in the welfare of chelonians.

How to Celebrate World Turtle Day

Celebrate the World Turtle Day around the spheroid in a contrast of ways, from dressing up as turtles by wearing green summer dresses to rescuing turtles caught on roadways, to research projects. They’re the astonishing creature, with positive grades making great pets and helping to preserve the eco-system in the waters they live in. Also if we live where snapping turtles haunt the waters, it’s probably a good idea that people know how to withdraw them and where to find them.

Source

[nowthisnews]

Those aren’t rocks, they’re turtles! More than 92,000 giant South American river turtles were just born in the Abufari Biological Reserve in Brazil. The giant South American river turtle can reach 3.5 feet and weigh as much as 200 lbs 🐢

follow @nowthisnews for daily news videos & more

[pleistocene-pride]

Sarcosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of living crocodilians that lived throughout what is now Africa and South America from the late Hauterivian to the late Cenomanian of the Early Cretaceous Period some 133 to 93 mya. From 1946 to 1959 French paleontologist Albert-Félix de Lapparent lead multiple expeditions into the sahara desert, during such time several crocodyliform fossils consisting of fragments of the skull, teeth, scutes and vertebrae were unearthed in the Continental Intercalaire Formation, Foggara Ben Draou region, Ain el Guettar Formation, and the Elrhaz Formation. These were attributed to a large long snouted yet undiagnostic crocodyliform. Then in 1964 a team of researchers from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission discovered an almost complete skull in the region of Gadoufaoua in Niger. This specimen along was then described by Broin & Taquet in 1966 who named the animal sarcosuchus imperator meaning flesh crocodile supreme ruler. In 1977 a reevalution of material consisting of lower jaw, dorsal scute and two teeth initially found in brazil by American naturalist Charles Hartt in 1897, found them to be Sarcosuchus. These remains where initially classified as a species of Crocodylus then as Goniopholis, and are now considered the type specimen of S. hartti. The next major findings occurred during the expeditions led by the American paleontologist Paul Sereno in 1995, 1997, and 2000. Who discorved 6 fairly complete sarcosuchus individuals. Reaching around 26 to 33ft (8 to 10m) in length and 7,600 to 9,500lbs (3,450 to 4,300 kgs) in weight, sarcosuchus was a benemoth beast. It sported a giant head with elongated jaws, slightly telescoping eyes, and an expansion at the end of its snout known as a bulla. The body was covered in armor and the tail was long and strong yet flexible. In life sarcosuchus would have inhabited inland swamps, lakes, rivers, and wetlands, feeding upon a plethora of fish, amphibians, invertebrates, turtles, lizards, pterosaurs, other crocodyliforms, and even the occasional dinosaur.

Art used can be found at the following links:

[fatehbaz]

In 1979, the Brazilian government moved to protect flora and fauna here, including the turtles, and set up the Trombetas Biological Reserve (REBIO Trombetas), a highly restrictive form of conservation unit, where at first virtually no economic activity was permitted. The area selected, covering 385,000 hectares (1,486 square miles) on the left bank of the Trombetas River, was not, however, uninhabited, for it included two communities of quilombolas — Afro-Brazilians, many of them descendants of runaway slaves. The creation of the REBIO Trombetas in an area occupied by those two traditional communities (the Último Quilombo do Erepecu and Quilombo de Nova Esperança) has created complications and ongoing conflicts that have rippled down through the years to the present day. [...] At the time REBIO Trombetas was founded, many conservationists erroneously believed the Amazon to be a pristine Garden of Eden, best left untouched by humans. As a result, the quilombos were seen as intrusive, and REBIO managers worked hard to prevent long-time traditional inhabitants from using and impacting the rainforest and rivers. Some quilombolas were evicted after 1979, but most remained. They clung tenaciously to their homes, despite draconian [...] restrictions. At the time, it was a criminal offense for local residents to hunt, fish or collect forest products. [...] The two tradtional communities [say] that the government has unfairly penalized them for conducting forest and river livelihoods including Brazil nut collecting [...]. Local residents also contend that while they’re fined for such minor infractions, MRN, the world’s fourth largest bauxite mining company, located near the REBIO, has done extensive ecological damage due to ore ship traffic and water pollution, which severely impacts turtle populations

Since the REBIO was created, many ecologists have changed their Edenic view of the forest and of the impacts traditional communities have on it. The dominant view today is that the vast Amazon rainforest was long ago shaped by humans, and the large concentrations of Brazil nut trees found along Amazonia’s rivers may be an excellent example of the way ancient peoples shaped the forest to better serve human occupation.

As the dry season gets underway in July, the water levels in most Amazon basin rivers fall. As river beaches are exposed, millions of river turtles begin creeping ashore in an eons-old ritual to lay their eggs, burying them in sand dunes flooded half the year.

Among these far traveling chelonians are the Giant South American turtle (Podocnemis expansa). One of the world’s largest freshwater turtles; it can grow to 90 centimeters (nearly three feet) in length, and weigh up to 65 kilograms (145 pounds). [...]

One place they particularly thrive, and a prime spawning spot, is found on the flat dunes along the Trombetas River. Many mating turtles head for Erepecu, an immense lagoon that opens along the left-hand river bank. Between the months of September and November, the Giant South American turtle and other species, such as Yellow-spotted river turtles (Podocnemis unifilis) and the Six-tubercled Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis sextuberculata), arrive and nest. They lay between 15 and 130 eggs on average, depending on species.

The REBIO Trombetas encompasses a large, densely clustered number of Brazil nut trees  and those trees are an important source of income for traditional people. [...]

More recently families gained the right to carry out small-scale subsistence farming. “Today we can plant an area of 10,000 square meters [108,00 square feet],” explained [redacted], who lives in the Último Quilombo.

In one important program, local quilombolas are now seen as a vital component of REBIO protection. Today, they protect the nesting sites of the much lauded Trombetas River Turtle Programme, launched in 1979 and continued under IBAMA and ICMBio. Local inhabitants became involved in 2003, in partnership with the environmental agencies.

Under the program, 27 families living in the Último Quilombo and Nova Esperança Quilombo protect the turtles during the breeding season, watching over the beaches and nests during incubation and hatching, keeping poachers and predators away. [...] Researchers say that their work is crucial to the Giant South American turtle [...]. 

Meanwhile, MRN continues benefiting from the status quo. [...] Ten years after the creation of REBIO Trombetas, Brazilian President José Sarney flew over the region and saw that MRN was directly discharging waste from its huge bauxite mine into once pristine Batata Lake — a notorious Amazon environmental disaster. [...]

“Before the mining company arrived, we just hunted and fished to get food for ourselves ...”

---

Thais Borges and Sue Branford. “Life among the turtles: Traditional people struggle inside an Amazon reserve.” Mongabay. 10 August 2020.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Call it a Turtle Tsunami! Thousands of Turtles Appear Together in Brazil

A baby turtle (hatchling) crawling its way up to the surface on a sandy patch is among the most adorable sights one can hope for. Imagine thousands of such hatchlings coming out one on top of another like the waves of a tsunami.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Brazil recently released breathtaking footage showing tens of thousands of Giant South American River turtle hatchlings (Podocnemis expansa) emerging from a sandy beach in a protected area along the Purus River—a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil.

Calling it a turtle tsunami, WCS Brazil conservationists said the emergence occurred over several days, with around 71,000 hatchlings emerging on one day alone, followed by another 21,000 a few days later. Turtles often lay eggs in batches of 80-120 per individual and prefer an undisturbed region for an approximately 60-day incubation period.

Continue reading.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Titanis walleri

By Scott Reid

Etymology: Titan

First Described By: Brodkorb, 1963

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Cariamiformes, Phorusrhacoidea, Phorusrhacidae, Phorusrhacinae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 5 and 1.8 million years ago, from the Zanclean to the Gelasian ages of the Pliocene through Pleistocene 

Titanis is known from the Santa Fe River and Nueces River Formations of Florida and Texas 

Physical Description: Titanis was a Terror Bird, one of the largest known Terror Birds, a group of large flightless predatory birds that terrorized the Americas during the Cenozoic Era, right up until humans would have appeared on the scene. Titanis is one of the latest members of this group, and the one that made the journey up to North America - most Terror Birds are from South America. It would have been 2.5 meters tall - much taller than a person - and would have weighed 150 kilograms. There was a lot of variance in size and height, however, indicating that Titanis may have had at least some sexual dimorphism. It had a short tail and round body, with long and powerful legs. In fact, it also had very robust toes - and one of the strongest middle toes known for a Terror Bird. It had very small, useless wings, that were very much locked in against the body - they didn’t have a lot of folding power compared to other birds. This indicates the wings really were… useless. They didn’t use them for raptor prey restraint or anything else, making them distinctly different from the Dromaeosaurids of long past. Titanis had a very thick neck, which would have supported a large head with a very impressive and terrifying hooked bill - complete with extensive crunching power! 

By Dmitry Bogdanov, CC BY-SA 3.0

Diet: As a Terror Bird, Titanis primarily ate large mammals - and some medium and small sized mammals, of course, but basically it was able to cronch anything around it.

Behavior: Terror Birds are most closely related to modern Seriemas, and so a lot of their behavior has been guessed based on Seriemas today. As such - and given that it didn’t have much in the way of wings - Titanis probably mainly relied on its feet in kicking its prey to death. It would chase its food down, kick it, and potentially pin it down. Then, final death blows would have been delivered with the powerful cronch of its beak, though of course the hook on the beak would have allowed increased tearing and shredding. While modern Seriemas are solitary, it is possible that Titanis and other Terror Birds may have used groups to take down larger prey, though they probably would have been more groups of convenience than formal packs. It is possible they had similar breeding habits to living Seriemas, but even that is a question - their larger size, different niche, and general different time periods would provide large differences. And we don’t even know the actual breeding habits of Seriemas very well! So, that being said, Titanis would have probably been fairly territorial over their nests, and both parents were probably involved in the care of the nest and then the young, even after fledging. The young would follow the parents around until reaching maturity. As such, it’s possible that the parents may have hunted for the young, and brought food back for them until they were old enough to hunt for themselves. Then, upon leaving the parents, they probably would have been fairly solitary until finding a mate of their own. 

By José Carlos Cortés

Ecosystem: Titanis primarily lived in open grassland habitats in the southern parts of the United States, clearly extending from Texas through to Florida and probably found all over that range. It stuck to warmer, probably wetter habitats, though the exact environments it lived in aren’t very well studied in terms of general flora. Fauna, however, is well known. Titanis lived alongside a wide variety of other animals - in Citrus County, it was found with a variety of frogs, turtles, lizards, rabbits, horses, shrews, bears, dogs, mustelids, and cats (including Smilodon), armadillos, sloths, the Mastodon, cows, peccaries, camels, and deer. There were, of course, many dinosaurs as well - in addition to Titanis, there were waders (indicating a non-insignificant amount of water in this ecosystem, possible coastline, swamps, or lakes), vultures, pheasants, ducks, falcons, owls, pigeons (including the passenger pigeon), woodpeckers, blackbirds, corvids, sparrows, finches, flycatchers, cardinals, rails, grebes, herons, bitterns, and buzzards. Basically, a fairly typical array of North American birds! In Gilchrist County, Titanis also lived alongside similar creatures, including Smilodon, though without the Mastodon - though there was Rhynchotherium! Unfortunately, its Texan relatives aren’t well known, though it stands to reason that it would have been similar to other locations. 

By Ripley Cook

Other: Titanis is one of the largest known Terror Birds, and one of the largest known ones discovered early in our understanding of Terror Birds. In fact, we knew about Titanis so early on that there are a lot of old depictions of it - including ones where it has… hands. Clawed hands. That is very much wrong and cringy, but hey, there are pictures of it! Titanis is also fascinating because of its place in Earth’s History - it is one of the (only?) known Terror Birds from North America. This occurred due to the Great American Interchange, a sort of mini-columbian exchange where North America and South America combined, leading to the mixing of animals from both continents together. The traditional narrative says that Terror Birds went extinct because sabre-toothed cats came in from North America, but this is flawed for three very big reasons: 1) there were already Sabre Toothed animals filling that niche in South America, they were just Marsupials; 2) Terror Birds stuck around for a long time after the Interchange, and 3) Terror Birds reached North America in return! So Titanis helps to showcase that Terror Birds were doing just fine during this ecological exchange. So why did it - and other Terror Birds - go extinct? Probably the Ice Age, though for now, we can’t be sure. Regardless, they went extinct… probably before people got there. There are fossils that might be Titanis from 15,000 years ago, which would indicate they were still there when people got there. Which is terrifying. And also might point to humans being the cause of their extinction. Still, that seems unlikely, and they were definitely on the decline before then - so the Ice Age seems like the most logical explanation.

~ By Meig Dickson

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