A communal nesting site of the Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii) along the New River, Belize.

The Central American river turtle, Dermatemys mawii, is a critically endangered species with declines in its population caused by human harvest. Previous knowledge of nesting behaviour is minimal, and communal nesting of D. mawii has not been described previously. Here we report the first observations of communal nesting of D. mawii and provide recommendations to researchers and conservationists on how to find D. mawii nests, based on observed communal nesting conditions, proximity to water, hydro-period, and vegetative cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]