Throughout Hicatee Awareness Month, every Tuesday, we’ll be highlighting one of the Belizean turtles featured in the Hicatee & Friends coloring book, created by our partners, the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education, to raise awareness on the plight of Belize’s native turtle species in need of conservation action.
This week, meet the Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle!
The Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle (Claudius angustatus) is known in some parts of Belize as the Loggerhead. Found in seasonal ponds, marshes, and flooded forests across Belize, Mexico, and northern Guatemala, this adaptable turtle feeds on everything from crayfish to ants and bees. Elsewhere, it carries the spooky moniker of the “Vampire Musk Turtle,” a nod to the pronounced, sharp cusps on the edge of its upper beak—a fitting nickname for the month of October. Sadly, it’s listed as Near Threatened, reminding us of the importance of protecting its wetlands.
Celebrate Hicatee Awareness Month with us by following us across our social platforms, following BFREE, and downloading the coloring book to learn more about Belize’s imperiled species.
