We are pleased to announce a recent publication in the Journal of Parasitology that describes a new coccidian protozoan, Eimeria grayi. Named after the biologist who described Dermatemys mawii, this is the first description of a coccidian in the Central American River Turtle. The discovery of this bacteria advances our understanding of this under-studied and monotypic species of turtle. This coccidian was identified in captive turtles at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center at the BFREE Field Station in southern Belize. We do not know if this coccidian exists in wild turtles.
The publication was a team effort and we are especially grateful to Dr. Elliott Jacobson who took the lead on this important effort.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DSC_1035-scaled.jpg17072560Heather Barretthttps://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngHeather Barrett2022-03-09 19:48:312022-07-06 15:53:58A New Species of Coccidia Described in D. mawii
Professional photographers, videographers, and documentarians Jorge Silva Rivera and Carlos Miguel Herrera traveled from Chiapas, Mexico, to BFREE for 10-days in February 2022. Working with Zamia Media, the pair set out to document the people, facilities, wildlife, and natural beauty of BFREE. Zamia Media will then use the images and videos captured during their time to create updated visuals for BFREE to use on our website and in other marketing materials.
The duo has vast experience documenting remote, hard-to-reach places throughout southern Mexico and has worked to discover and learn more about some of the most ancient and biodiverse locations in the world.
During their time at BFREE, they spent several days interviewing all of the staff and many of the volunteers and other visitors who overlapped with their visit. They used multiple drones to capture BFREE’s privately protected area and spent hours photographing the flora and fauna throughout the property. It was an honor to host Jorge and Carlos at BFREE and such an incredible experience to have them alongside our team for nearly two weeks.
We understand the importance of documenting our work and sharing the incredible place that is BFREE. However, it can be difficult to do so when all of the other work is so demanding. We are so grateful to have had these two professionals join us so that we can continue #BringingBFREEToYou!
Carlos, left and Jorge, right at the beginning of the BFREE Entrance Road.Jorge and Carlos from the top of BFREE’s 112′ Observation Tower. Photo by Jorge.
Visiting volunteer, Autumn Dietrich captured these incredible candid images of many of the BFREE staff that show the incredible and inspiring faces behind our important and necessary conservation work. It wouldn’t be possible to be the successful conservation organization that we are today without the people who make BFREE. A special thanks to Autumn for sharing these photos and to the staff of BFREE who inspire all of us to keep working to make the world a better place!
What is BFREE?
BFREE is a place for dreams, ideas, and experiences.
It’s a place for innovation and incubation.
BFREE is a privately protected area that borders, links, and serves as a corridor between four national protected areas.
It’s a physical buffer between increasing encroachment and unsustainable land-use practices.
BFREE is a place for research, discovery, and education.
It’s a place for training, mentorship, and inspiring future generations.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/c1fae16e-8acd-4bf9-9fed-47a36b44baf8.jpg1024857Tyler Sanvillehttps://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngTyler Sanville2022-03-08 17:45:312022-03-08 20:26:54BFREE is for the People!
BFREE Cacao Fellow, Mark Canti, continues to shine in various disciplines at BFREE. In his first year of the two-year Cacao Fellowship program, Mark has proven to be talented in cacao grafting and data collection. Though his focus is primarily on cacao, Mark has expressed that his interests are more than just agroforestry and that he is particularly fascinated and inspired by the wildlife that surrounds him while working at BFREE.
This week, Mark continued to illustrate his passion for wildlife, working through the weekend to support BFREE’s bi-annual Hicatee Health Assessment. Last year he participated in an online Wildlife Veterinary course offered by Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic (BWRC), and now he put some of the skills he learned from Dr. Isabelle to the test.
The 2022 Hicatee Health Assessments’ purpose is to determine the sex ratio of the captive-born turtles as well as collect growth data and review the overall health of a subset of turtles. Additionally, ultrasounds were performed on adult female turtles.
Donning his Hicatee Hero t-shirt, Mark fit right in with Team Hicatee and was an invaluable addition to the team. In addition to shadowing the veterinarians performing necropsies and endoscopies, Mark has helped with data collection, photographing the various activities, and supporting all of the other important aspects of the health assessment.
Mark on the bottom left along with Team Hicatee on Day One of the Health Assessment in March 2022.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SR_9247.jpg19201371Tyler Sanvillehttps://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngTyler Sanville2022-03-08 17:03:072022-03-10 20:16:06Cacao Fellow, Mark Canti Illustrates Passion for Wildlife
Bryan Windmiller and Emilie Wilder from Zoo New England join the BFREE Team to support the Bi-Annual Hicatee Health Assessment at the BFREE Biological Field Station in southern Belize. The March 2022 Health Assessments of the critically endangered Hicatee Turtle, Dermatemys mawii, focused on determining the sax ratios of the captive-bred Hicatee.
In this video, Emilie Wilder and Bryan Windmiller share how they are taking morphometric photos of each turtle to see if it is possible to use image analysis to determine if the turtle is male or female by the shape of its plastron.
A special thanks to both Emilie and Bryan for their invaluable help this week and to Zoo New England for their continued support of our Hicatee conservation program.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_3865-rotated.jpg20161512Tyler Sanvillehttps://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngTyler Sanville2022-03-08 16:32:012022-03-08 16:32:04Zoo New England Staff Use Morphometric Imagery to Determine Sex of Hicatee Turtles at BFREE
The March bi-annual health assessment for Dermatemys mawii began on Saturday, March 5, and will wrap up on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. This is the first health assessment since March 2020 that we’ve been able to invite participants from abroad.
The Hicatee Conservation and Research Center has experienced successful breeding of our captive population of turtles since 2014. Since then, hundreds of turtles have been hatched at the facility. However, because there is little research on the species to date, we have not been able to distinguish male hatchlings from female hatchlings. To ensure a successful re-wilding program, we must verify the ratio of males to females. And, if the ratios are not correct, then we will use that information to modify our incubation methods. This health assessment is dedicated to determining our sex ratios at the HCRC.
Research shows that if a turtle’s eggs incubate below 81.86 Fahrenheit, the turtle hatchlings will be male. If the eggs incubate above 87.8° Fahrenheit, however, the hatchlings will be female. Temperatures that fluctuate between the two extremes will produce a mix of male and female baby turtles.
Turtle biologist, Dave Rostal, and Veterinarians, Elliott Jacobson and Isabelle Paquet-Durand are performing endoscopies to determine the sex of our hatchlings. Simultaneously, Bryan Windmiller and Emilie Wilder from Zoo New England are taking morphometric photos of each turtle to see if their plastron shape can help determine the sex of the turtles.
We are also collecting typical growth data on a subset of turtles as well as reviewing their overall health and performing ultrasounds on adult females.
Participants: Zoo New England Staff: Bryan Windmiller and Emilie Wilder; Visiting Veterinarian: Elliott Jacobson, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida, Visiting Biologist: Dave Rostal, Southern Georgia University, Local Veterinarian: Isabelle Paquet-Durand, Visiting Volunteers: Doris Dimmitt, Rod Dimmit, Emily Gregory, Tim Gregory, and Alexi Dart-Padover, BFREE staff: Thomas Pop, Jonathan Dubon, Mark Canti, Elmer Tzalam, Jacob Marlin, and Heather Barrett. BFREE Team Hicatee chef: Edwardo Pop.
Thanks to Zoo New England for their support of this health assessment as well as for their ongoing support for the program.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_4063.jpg15122016Heather Barretthttps://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngHeather Barrett2022-03-08 13:37:522022-03-08 13:37:55Determining sex ratios on captive-born Hicatee
In honor of this fun date, we’ve compiled a list full of 22’s from around BFREE!
🐆 A long-term scientific study at BFREE verified that at least 22 individual jaguars live on the BFREE property.
🌿 Head Ranger, Sipriano Canti, embarks on his 22nd year as a Park Ranger within the Bladen Nature Reserve and the BFREE Privately Protected Area.
🐌 There are 158 species of land snails confirmed from the arbitrary boundaries of Belize. One snail, the Common Aggressor, measures 22 mm.
🛌 BFREE’s newest accommodation, “The Hammock,” was completed in 2022. The building has six private rooms connected by an open-air veranda.
🍫 Purple-orange Phenotype, cacao pods have 22-30 seeds.
🐢 In 2014, BFREE launched the HCRC with 22 adult turtles. Today, there are 45 adult turtles in the program.
🍽 The dining room table where thousands of people over the years have sat around sharing meals, playing games, or collaborating on saving the rainforest was built by hand 22 years ago.
🎂 Cacao team member Leonardo Choc is 22 years old, and Wildlife Fellow, Jonathan Dubon, turns 22 this year!
🍎 Before the Cool Spot was the “Cool Spot,” it was designated as The Classroom and was built 22 years ago.
Special thanks to BFREE Volunteer, Autumn Dietrich for helping compile this list!
Last year, HCRC Manager, Thomas Pop, and Wildlife Fellow, Jonathan Dubon, separately witnessed two amazing events during their daily work at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center. Tom observed captive Dermatemys mawii (Hicatee turtle) exhibiting courtship behavior and mating and later Jonathan recorded a female Hicatee laying eggs. Both events were firsts for the staff of the HCRC. Tom and Jonathan describe their individual sightings below.
Tom’s Account of D. mawii mating:
During the 3-4th week of October 2021, I observed the following events:
Searching: I noticed that several males were following a single female and thought it might have been to initiate a courtship ritual. I saw the males searching both in the mornings and in the evenings on some days. This caught my attention because Hicatee rarely come to the surface of the water and generally only poke their nostrils out to breathe. I did not see any females searching for a male partner to mate with, but we cannot discard this idea as we do not have enough evidence.
Pre-copulation: Several activities were noted before copulation during this time. I saw that the males would try to get behind the female as if they were trying to pick up on a scent or hormone. The male turtles would then try to bite the female’s tail, as well as her marginal scutes and face. Males were observed shaking their heads from side to side while in front of the female, thereafter, trying to bite the female’s face. Again, I witnessed these activities sometimes in the mornings and evenings. There has not been any evidence of individuals being territorial or aggressive towards each other at the HCRC, including male to male, until this recent observation. The only aggression noticed was between dominant males and a female that may have been ready to mate.
Copulation: I noticed that one of the male turtles would try to jump onto the female turtle when they were a little deeper in the water and hook on. The female would then walk into the shallow water around the edge, so the male’s carapace was out of the water a bit. I used this time to take some photos and videos. I also noticed that before mating, the male would try to drag the female a little deeper into the water as opposed to the shallow edge. Being that this activity happened around the edge of the pond, the turtles made the water very murky by disturbing the dirt present. During this time, I only observed the mating twice. I also noticed that the female involved in the copulation did not seem to want to go deeper in the water. She somewhat preferred to stay around the edge of the pond and seemed stressed.
Image One: Thomas Pop, HCRC Manager (photo by Heather Barrett) Image Two: Male Hicatee mating with a female Hicatee at the HCRC (photo by Thomas Pop)
Jonathan’s account of D. mawii laying eggs:
On December 22nd, 2021, around 7:30 am, I opened the gate to the HCRC and checked around the breeding ponds for nests that might have been deposited overnight. I was stopped in my tracks when I noticed a female Hicatee on land, digging a nest hole with her hind legs. I stood still and remained quiet so as not scare the turtle. She also remained still, and after about a minute or two, she continued to clear out the nest hole. I carefully snuck up behind her and took out my phone to document the occasion.
At first, I was stooping down but my knees started to ache, so I sat down. After a little while, I laid down a few feet behind her so that I could get some great angles of the event. She continued to remove dirt from the nest hole for 15-20 more minutes. She then laid the first of a total six (6) eggs at around 8:05 am. I noticed that she would place one of her hind legs in the hole when she was laying, to hold and gently lower the egg into the hole. After placing the egg down, she would use her hind legs, switching between the two, to move the egg around and gently set it in place. She repeated these actions in the same way for all six eggs. By 8:30 am, approximately 25 minutes later, she was finished laying.
After setting the final egg in place, she then began to pull dirt with her hind legs from around the hole to cover it. It took her around seven minutes to cover the nest with dirt while slightly compacting it. After covering up the nest, she slowly turned around and made her way back into the water, at the 8:37 am mark.
To my surprise, she did not seem bothered by my presence. I do know that some sea turtles allow you to observe and even touch them while they are laying eggs, but I was not sure if Hicatee turtles would do the same. I did not want to risk scaring her, so I played it safe and tried to remain invisible and quiet throughout the activity.
Image One: Jonathan Dubon, BFREE Fellow. (photo by Heather Barrett) Image Two: Female Hicatee at the HCRC digging a nest hole. (photo by Jonathan Dubon) Image Three: Female Hicatee depositing egg into the nest. (photo by Jonathan Dubon)
Why these observations are important:
BFREE Executive Director, Jacob Marlin, was very impressed by the incredible observation and documentation skills of Tom and Jonathan. He stated, “The documentation of courtship, breeding and nesting demonstrates one of the many benefits of developing the HCRC. This species has very secretive habits and barely comes out of the water, even to nest. These events have never been documented in the wild and without the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center and its dedicated staff, this incredible behavior would likely continue to elude science.”
Watch a short video of the events described by Tom and Jonathan at the HCRC.
About the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center:
BFREE is home to the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC), a captive breeding facility for the Central American River Turtle, Dermatemys mawii, locally known in Belize as the Hicatee. The Hicatee is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List and is listed in the report, “Turtles in Trouble: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles – 2018,” by the Turtle Conservation Coalition. The HCRC was established along with the support of the Turtle Survival Alliance in 2011. Over the last ten years, the team has grown to include several additional partners working together to study reproductive biology, nesting ecology, and the feasibility of breeding Hicatee in captivity. To learn more about BFREE’s work in protecting the Hicatee, visit www.bfreebz.org/research/#hicatee
Photography and Videos by Thomas Pop and Jonathan Dubon. Video compilation by Jonathan Dubon.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Thomas-Pop-by-HBarrett-2-scaled.jpg25601920Jonathan Dubon and Thomas Pop https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngJonathan Dubon and Thomas Pop 2022-02-04 20:24:002022-02-08 18:45:47Documenting Dermatemys mawii courtship, breeding, and nesting
Flowers that have dropped from a Jobillo tree near Heather’s home at BFREE.
A couple of years ago, the Jobillo tree next to the house where I live at BFREE, began dropping flowers. The dry season was in full force, so it must have been around May when I noticed the first bunch of delicate, perfect, pale, white blooms. I collected a few out of curiosity and asked Jacob what they were. I learned that the flowers, which detached from the tree in clumps before falling/ floating to the ground, were the tree’s method of seed dispersal and that this only happened every few years. I was fascinated by the perfect central seed that the flowers protected and transported to the earth. Jobillo (sometimes called Tigerwood) is an unusual species of tropical hardwood that has a dark orangish-red cast to the heartwood and is streaked with dark brown to black “tiger stripes.” Jobillo is native to Central and South America and is in the genus of flowering plants in the cashew family called Astronium.
That year, Jobillo flowers soon covered the ground near the house and I began collecting them in my trusty yellow bucket. I spent hours over many days separating seeds from flowers. In the end, I had thousands of seeds and was enthusiastic to plant and share these rare treasures. I placed several hundred seeds in bags in the BFREE plant nursery and still I had thousands remaining, so I divided them into several bags and gave them to our closest neighbors at the Gomez Sawmill and to anyone else who expressed interest.
My enthusiasm was perhaps appreciated but not necessarily shared. Not because Jobillo isn’t beautiful and valuable – it is both of those things – but because it has several innate challenges. Its irregular grain and alternating layers of hard and soft wood make Jobillo difficult to work with. Also, it is exceptionally slow growing. Trees on the property that are known to be nearly 20 years old are tall but only 10-12 inches in diameter. Still, a few dozen of my trees were planted within the cacao agroforestry project in order to add some variety and some long-term shade. The rest were left to grow in the nursery and cared for along with the other nursery plants. To our surprise, last month when Jacob received a phone call: a Belizean woman from Cayo heard we have a nursery and might have some unusual hardwoods for sale. She was particularly interested in Jobillo.
After several phone calls, arrangements were made for her to purchase 130 of our Jobillo saplings. I was thrilled! The truck was loaded with plants plus a few extra for good measure and we drove out to meet Lavinia and her daughter.
Lavinia owns a nursery and was gathering the trees for a client doing a reforestation project in northern Belize near the Mexican border. She surveyed the condition of the trees and we asked if they met with her approval, she slowly nodded. “The leaves are so pretty I could put them in a salad.” She and her daughter laughed and she added, “We are plant-based, so everything green looks like our next meal.” During our brief interaction, Lavinia told us that she wants her nursery to encourage people to plant more trees and food plants. During the pandemic, she has been surprised that more Belizeans didn’t take the opportunity to start producing their own food in home gardens. She has also noticed that there are many areas throughout Belize that were damaged by fire but have never been replanted. Her motto for her nursery is “Planting up Belize.”
Lavinia’s interest in the plants and trees produced at BFREE and her concern about the loss of green areas throughout the country, reminded me of the critical and continued role BFREE’s forests can play in producing seeds and saplings for the future, not just of this property, or of the Toledo District, but for Belize in its entirety.
Image One:Thousands of the seeds were collected from the one flowering Jobillo tree dropping flowers near Heather’s house at BFREE. Image Two: Two years after planting the collected seeds, saplings were ready for delivery to Lavinia’s nursery and loaded into the back of the truck. Image Three: Heather Barrett and Jacob Marlin pose with the saplings before delivering them to their new home.
https://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Jobillo-Saplings-Jan-2022-2.jpg16001200Heather Barretthttps://www.bfreebz.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Logo-1080.pngHeather Barrett2022-01-31 19:31:502022-01-31 20:48:32From Seeds to Trees
Please join BFREE and the Hicatee Awareness Planning Committee in celebrating the 5th Annual Hicatee Awareness Month this October!
The Hicatee turtle is the only living species in an ancient family dating back 65 million years. This turtle has outlived the dinosaurs! Unfortunately, the Hicatee now faces a high risk of extinction due to overhunting. The Hicatee needs greater protection.
Hicatee Awareness Month began in 2017 by BFREE with support from our partner the Turtle Survival Alliance. Each year, the month-long celebration grows as more people become aware of our national treasure, the Hicatee turtle.
Since 2017, Hicatee Awareness Month milestones include:
More than 2,000 pages of printed educational materials, including fact sheets, coloring pages, writing prompts, and more, have been delivered to educators across Belize.
Those same educational materials are made available for free online in our Online Toolkit and emailed to more than 500 principals and teachers each year.
We have distributed 400 Save the Hicatee t-shirts, 3,400 stickers, 100 “Hope for Belize’s Hicatee” DVD’s, and 60 “Herbert the Hicatee” books.
Hicatee Hero volunteers hosted over 50 public events and classroom visits.
More than 15 features on radio, TV, and in printed magazines and newspapers.
The creation of “Mr. Hicatee,” a catchy sing-along video and song.
In 2020, we created the Hicatee Awareness Month planning committee in order to better reach Belizeans country-wide. This is an all-volunteer committee made up of BFREE staff and local artists, conservationists, professionals, primary and college teachers, and parents.
Interested in learning more about the Hicatee turtle and participate in virtual activities during October and year-round? Then follow BFREE Belize on social media!
