subject: Hickatee: The Critically Endangered Turtle [print this page] Dermatemys mawii and Hickatee, a river in Central America are water turtles turtles as it spends its entire life in or on water and sleep after their stay afloat. These types of relatively large turtle with a maximum of 25 inches in length and armor can weigh up to 44 pounds, 50 if you include the shell weight of armor or turtle. Then the distinction between males from females by yellow markings on both sides of the head. It also has a tail longer and thicker.
The female is slightly smaller, with shorter tail and gray head adorned with gold emblem and logo of the corresponding male sporadic. Shield, brown or olive green, only slightly curved, and the shell is cream-colored belly.
Hickatee and female leaves the water only when it has eggs in the situation where the deposit is up to 16 eggs under the camouflage of decaying plants. This is a "mother" never look back, never reached the eggs they just put. Incubates eggs were laid just themselves.
Low-lying coastal Belize is the family side by side with ordinary Hickatee the rivers of southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. Deep clear water is best, and considered many of the areas lakes Hickatee Belize residential to be ministers.
When newly hatched Hickatee will begin life as carnivores, but when they become adults, they switch to a vegetarian diet. Prized of ancient Mayan turtle meat for food, and religious ceremonies. Turtle meat deli is still there today are greatly appreciated. Eggs are harvested from the sea turtles in Belize for food.
Hickatee and is a plant and highly valued for their meat by a man-meat eaters. Hickatee turtle meat meals traditional Easter vacation in Belize, which contributed to the development of these turtles in the list of endangered species. In addition, Hickatee is easy to catch because they are derived lazily on the surface of the water, do not know they will be stunned by a well-designed paddle or simply chose the bottom of a river during the dry season.
Despite their danger in terms of protection Hickatee is very limited in Belize with a month and can shut down the season without Hickatee meat trade, a maximum of 3 per person to be taken and only five per vehicle.
Hickatee turtle is one of the turtles in the world in terms of use significantly, after it was harvested extensively, especially on meat, but also for their eggs, newborns and shield up it is sold and food. This turtle was virtually eliminated many members of the previous group in southern Mexico.
