Chelonian Conservation and Biology · 2018 · 13 citations · 23 references
Life SciencesEcologyZoologyBehavioral EcologySpatial EcologyWildlife BiologyAnimal EcologyHabitat UseMigration EcologyMovement EcologySpatial Distribution AnalysisWildlife EcologyForaging Habitat EcologyHome Range BehaviorLinear RangeMigration TrackingRange Size DistributionsRange Size EstimationSeasonal MovementsSpecies Movement Patterns
The yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) plays ecological roles in the Amazonian aquatic ecosystem and has cultural and economic significance for indigenous peoples. Because spatial ecology and movement data are nonexistent for this species, we radio tracked 63 individuals in the Napo River between August 2015 and February 2017. Mean linear range size was 16.2 km (n = 31) and mean home range size was 5.2 km2 (n = 27). Our results are the first range size estimates for P. unifilis and suggest that the species could be treated as a short-distance facultative migrant with local seasonal movements.
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