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Happy National Hicatee Day!

Today, October 17, is National Hicatee Day! Throughout Hicatee Awareness Month, we’ve been featuring threatened Belizean freshwater turtle species that we work with. Today, we’re bringing back our species spotlight on the Central American River Turtle, known locally as the Hicatee, to celebrate the efforts to save this critically endangered species.

The Hicatee is an aquatic species found in large lakes and rivers. Its unique ability to draw water in its throat and absorb oxygen from the water allows it to stay submerged for a virtually unlimited amount of time. Due to overcollection and lack of education on this species, its population declined rapidly, with it now being classified as Critically Endangered.

Thanks to our partner organization, the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education @bfreebz, this species stands a chance at survival. Captive breeding, founding genetically diverse breeding colonies at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC), and performing field surveys with the BFREE Field Station in southern Belize, all contribute to the protection of this species.

Education and community engagement on the ground in Belize about this species is key to protecting it, and the surrounding environment. The Hicatee Awareness Month campaign, and National Hicatee Day, bring awareness to the importance of this species and conservation in Belize.

Follow along throughout October as we celebrate the Hicatee and the turtles of Belize, and learn more about these turtles in the educational materials and webinars hosted by BFREE here!

“Hicatee”, the Central American River Turtle, is one of the friends from the “Hicatee and Friends” campaign for Hicatee Awareness Month.

• Pictured: Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii)
• Countries of Origin: Belize, Guatemala, Mexico
• Habitat: Large rivers, lakes, oxbows, flooded forests
• Wild Population: Decreasing; extirpated from many areas of its historic range; surviving populations highly reduced
• IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Threats: Unsustainable harvesting for human consumption, and habitat degradation

Header image by Parker Gibbons.