The Central American river turtle or Mesoamerican river turtle (Dermatemys mawii) locally known as the "hickatee" or tortuga blanca (white turtle) is the only living species in the family Dermatemydidae. Its closest relatives are only known from fossils.
It is a nocturnal, aquatic turtle that lives in larger rivers and lakes in Central America, from southern Mexico to northern Honduras. It is one of the world's most heavily exploited turtles and is classified a Critically Endangered species by the IUCN and is listed as Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The Central American river turtle has been intensely harvested, primarily for its meat, but also for its eggs and shells. The turtle has been nearly eliminated from much of its former range in southern Mexico.
Dermatemys species are fairly large turtles, attaining a maximum size of 65 cm (25 in) in carapace length, and they can weigh up to 22 kg (49 lb).
It has a flattened carapace, usually a solid grey or almost black in color. Its plastron is normally cream-colored. In the juvenile, a distinctive keel is found down the center of the carapace, and the outer edges have serrations. These features are lost as the turtle ages. Its skin is predominantly the same color as the shell, with reddish or peach-colored markings around the neck and underside. Males can be differentiated from females by yellow markings on either side of their heads, and longer, thicker tails.
Read more about Central American River Turtle: Reproduction, Conservation Status, Conservation Efforts in Belize, Captive Turtle Breeding Program in Belize
Famous quotes containing the words central, american, river and/or turtle:
“Sweet weight,
in celebration of the woman I am
and of the soul of the woman I am
and of the central creature and its delight
I sing for you. I dare to live.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“An accurate charting of the American woman’s progress through history might look more like a corkscrew tilted slightly to one side, its loops inching closer to the line of freedom with the passage of time—but like a mathematical curve approaching infinity, never touching its goal. . . . Each time, the spiral turns her back just short of the finish line.”
—Susan Faludi (20th century)
“Is not disease the rule of existence? There is not a lily pad floating on the river but has been riddled by insects. Almost every shrub and tree has its gall, oftentimes esteemed its chief ornament and hardly to be distinguished from the fruit. If misery loves company, misery has company enough. Now, at midsummer, find me a perfect leaf or fruit.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;”
—Bible: Hebrew The Song of Solomon (l. II, 10–12)