Nesting of Podocnemis unifilis in the Capanaparo River, Venezuela

Abstract

(Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984). Although still abundant in many lowland riverine habitats in Venezuela, including the Capanaparo River, numbers appear to be declining because the terecay is a principal human food staple during the dry season, with both eggs and turtles being consumed or sold in large quantities throughout the species range (Mittermeier, 1975, 1978; Dixon and Soini, 1977; Smith, 1979; Johns, 1987). The terecay is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red Data book (Groombridge, 1982), and is on Appendix II of CITES. The conservation of this turtle has been given high priority by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (Stubbs, 1991). Previous reports of P. unifilis nesting have been restricted principally to the Amazon River basin in Colombia (Medem, 1964, 1969; Foote, 1978) and Peru (Soini [in Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984]), with a few observations for the Orinoco basin in Venezuela (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984), and Colombia (Medem, 1964). The principal objective of this study was to determine basic aspects of P. unifilis nesting ecology which could be used for planning future management programs in the Capanaparo River basin. Our study was conducted in the Capanaparo River, a medium-sized Orinoco River tributary that drains an aeolian sand region of the low-lying llanos savanna habitat in southern Apure State, Venezuela. Terecay nests were studied in the vicinity of San Jose de Capanaparo (7?00'N, 68?25'W), principally during the early dry season (January-February) of 1991 and 1992, although one clutch found in 1987 was also included. The study site is located within the Capanaparo-Cinaruco National Park. The Capanaparo also contains Chelus fimbriatus, a small population of Podocnemis expansa, and scattered individuals of the savanna pond dwelling P. vogli. All turtles except for C. fimbriatus are heavily exploited for food by Yaruro Indians and Venezuelan colonists.