Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle Podocnemis unifilis

The Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle is native to deep rivers and freshwater lakes of the Amazon and Orinoco Basins and the Guianas. It can grow to some 45 cm long and weigh 8 kg.

The young have a yellow-spotted face and head but the spots fade as adults age.

It is mainly aquatic outside the pre-breeding and egg-laying season, but does also bask and travel on land. Eggs are laid in sandy banks. Hatchlings are mainly carnivorous but adults are mainly herbivorous.

Their survival is threatened by habitat loss, dams, pollution, hunting and egg collection.