Herbert Meier Fig. 10. A Podocnemis unifilis hatching. it and presumably died of suffocation while they attempted to hatch. Babies grow at a rapid pace and will soon have reached sizes that make it impossible to keep them in normal tanks. The contrasting black and yellow pattern of the head emerges only a few weeks after hatching, but is subsequently retained only by the males. In the wild of southern Venezuela, the oviposition period falls into the time from January through March. Knaack (2003) specified this period as from August through September for the Río Mamore, and Ferreira (2003) gave September through November for the Rio Javaes in Brazil. Clutches are buried very close to the water. It is unfortunate that local people plunder many nests as a source of protein to supplement their diet (e.g., Knaack 2004). Fig. 11. Two week-old Podocnemis unifilis. 12 RADIATA 17 (3), 2008
Experiences with the Keeping of River Turtles of the Family Podocnemididae Fig. 12. Podocnemis unifilis at an age of approximately ten months. Fig. 13. Podocnemis expansa, here an about two year-old specimen, inhabits the same types of water bodies as Podocnemis unifilis. Fig. 14. Three year-old Podocnemis vogli. RADIATA 17 (3), 2008 13
