Incredible Drone Video Captures World’s Biggest Turtle Nesting Ground With 41,000 Females
Wildlife often captures our attention in a variety of ways. These unexpected glimpses into the lives of animals also highlight their natural habitat and remind us that the world around us is full of wonder and beauty waiting to be discovered. In one such breathtaking reveal, drone footage has captured the largest known turtle nesting site on Earth, featuring more than 41,000 giant South American river turtles. The study was conducted by the researchers from the University of Florida (UF) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and was published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
The location of the said nesting site is reportedly near the banks of the Guaporé River, which flows between Brazil and Bolivia. As per the reports, every year, between July and August, female turtles gather in huge numbers to lay their eggs. In 2021, nearly 80,000 females arrived on this river's banks to nest, as per WCS. However, due to extensive hunting, this natural phenomenon has seen a rapid fall in the past few years, as reported by IFL Science. So, to protect them, scientists need to have accurate population estimates. A Phd researcher at the Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, Ismael Brack, also spoke about this.
He said, “If scientists are unable to establish an accurate count of individuals of a species, how will they know if the population is in decline or whether efforts to protect it are successful?” While it is a difficult task, these drone shots have proven to be a faster and effective way to count animals. During the experiment, researchers marked around 1,187 turtles with white paint on a Guaporé River sandbank. Then, for 12 days, a drone flew over the nesting site four times every day and took 1,500 photos each flight. The images were later put together and analyzed by scientists.
The authors of the study stated, “The total population size was estimated as ~41,000 turtles for the 12 days of nesting season, marking the current world's largest known aggregation of freshwater turtles.” As reported by the University of Florida, Brack further said, "Although the method is used to count turtles, it could also be applied to other species.” Meanwhile, the giant South American river turtles, also known as the Arrau turtles, are the largest ones in Latin America.
As reported by the Dallas World Aquarium, the biggest Arrau turtles can weigh around 100 pounds, with males generally seeming to be smaller than females. Their diet consists mostly of plants, including aquatic vegetation and fruits. These turtles travel long stretches along the rivers to reach specific nesting sites. In the two to three weeks before laying eggs, females can often be seen on the shores, especially early in the morning and late afternoon. On the other hand, males use behaviors like head bobbing and lightly nibbling females’ legs to gain their attention to mate.
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