Assessment of nesting beach and reproductive output of critically endangered painted terrapins (Batagur borneoensis) in Terengganu, Malaysia

Abstract

Painted terrapin is among Malaysia’s most critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List 2018. In Peninsular Malaysia, they can be found in several states, such as Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, and the largest population can be found in Terengganu. We present here the status of nesting beaches and reproductive output (number of nests) of painted terrapins in Terengganu from the year 2010 to 2017, based on data available from the Turtle Information Centre Rantau Abang (Department of Fisheries, Malaysia). Thirteen nesting beaches from four Terengganu districts (Kemaman, Dungun, Setiu, and Besut) contributed to this study, with southern districts (Kemaman and Dungun) having a higher number of nests than northern districts (Setiu and Besut) due to a greater number of nesting beaches available. We also presented beach morphology and sediment characteristics results of five nesting beaches and associated them with the reproductive output of painted terrapins. Results showed no correlation between them except a station close to the Dungun River mouth with an active zone and poorly sorted sediment may be responsible for the low number of nests recorded. The number of nests recorded were also higher at the steep narrow beaches compared to the ones that have medium-large intertidal zones.