Reproductive biology and habitat characterization of the Scorpion Mud Turtle Kinosternon scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1766) in the Amazon-Cerrado ecotone region, northeastern Brazil.

Abstract

In this study, we sampled populations of Scorpion Mud Turtles, Kinosternon scorpioides, in rivers and flooded plains of the eastern Brazilian Amazon in order to obtain information on its reproductive biology as well as the geospatial description of its habitat. The research was conducted in the basins of the Pericumã and Aurá Rivers, located in the environmental protection area of the Baixada Maranhense. Seven collections were made over a period of 24 months; 206 animals were captured (101 males and 105 females), with 18 recaptures (8.6%) and a displacement record of 7.41 km. In the Aurá River basin, we recorded six nests of K. scorpioides buried in association with a plant of the genus Andropogon sp. Turtles were observed in a variety of environments in a distribution completely dependent on seasonal changes in its habitat, fluctuating between aquatic and terrestrial microhabitats along with seasonal rains and dry periods and food availability. This study adds data on the ecology and knowledge of the dynamics and habitats of K. scorpioides in relation to conservation strategies of these and other turtles that use these flooded plains as habitat and survive despite many anthropogenic disturbances in the region.