O/T Matamata Turtles
Fellow Shooters,
As many of you know, I sign on a matamata man. I often attach a photo of the Amazonian turtle which is named as such.
Recently, a TSer asked "Peter, what's with the effing turtles?"
Instead of answering in that post, I thought, perhaps, I would respond in a seperate thread so as to maintain the integrity of the original thread.
Chelus Fimbriatus, is the sole genus and species of a remarkable and fascinating creature. There are two natural habitats of this turtle; the Amazon River and tributaries, and the Oronoco River, which is more or less a large Amazonian branch.
Their only predator is the Human. Their diet consists mostly of small fish and other river dwelling vertebrates and invertebrates. How they consume their prey will be mentioned shortly.
Since the Mata's eat small fish, the natives want to control their population because, as we all know, without small fish, there can be no big fish.
Thankfully, these animals are now protected by the CITES II Treaty and are being farmed in some of the tropical regions on northern South America and the Caribbean.
Carniverous turtles with the exception of the Matamata capture their prey in they strong beaks thus crushing them, and use their anterior limbs (talons, ie, fingernails) to tear off the sections not in their mouths. Once they swallow the piece in their beaks, they then swim over to the remaining pieces and consume them.
There are variations to this theme, such as the means by which the Alligator Snapper, for instance, lures and captures its prey. But nonetheless, the Snapper still crushes its food in its beak.
The Matamata is uniquely different. Their jaws are notoriously weak for carniverous turtles. They cannot capture prey in their beaks so they have a very unusual means by which to consume them. They extend their long necks and create a vacuum, thus sucking their prey into their gullet, along with the surround detritus, etc., and while their prey is in their mouth, blow out the unwanted water, leaves, etc.
Once the prey is isolated in their throat, the turtle gulps it back and swollows it whole and live. This is a site to behold, akin to the observation of a Boa Constrictor capturing a rat.
Perhaps, this is enough information for the readers. However, if anyone is further interested in why I am personally obsessed with these amazing creatures, then please read on in the following post.
Thanks for the interest, and blessings to all in this wonderful Season of Light and Life!
Peter Greenspan
Fellow Shooters,
As many of you know, I sign on a matamata man. I often attach a photo of the Amazonian turtle which is named as such.
Recently, a TSer asked "Peter, what's with the effing turtles?"
Instead of answering in that post, I thought, perhaps, I would respond in a seperate thread so as to maintain the integrity of the original thread.
Chelus Fimbriatus, is the sole genus and species of a remarkable and fascinating creature. There are two natural habitats of this turtle; the Amazon River and tributaries, and the Oronoco River, which is more or less a large Amazonian branch.
Their only predator is the Human. Their diet consists mostly of small fish and other river dwelling vertebrates and invertebrates. How they consume their prey will be mentioned shortly.
Since the Mata's eat small fish, the natives want to control their population because, as we all know, without small fish, there can be no big fish.
Thankfully, these animals are now protected by the CITES II Treaty and are being farmed in some of the tropical regions on northern South America and the Caribbean.
Carniverous turtles with the exception of the Matamata capture their prey in they strong beaks thus crushing them, and use their anterior limbs (talons, ie, fingernails) to tear off the sections not in their mouths. Once they swallow the piece in their beaks, they then swim over to the remaining pieces and consume them.
There are variations to this theme, such as the means by which the Alligator Snapper, for instance, lures and captures its prey. But nonetheless, the Snapper still crushes its food in its beak.
The Matamata is uniquely different. Their jaws are notoriously weak for carniverous turtles. They cannot capture prey in their beaks so they have a very unusual means by which to consume them. They extend their long necks and create a vacuum, thus sucking their prey into their gullet, along with the surround detritus, etc., and while their prey is in their mouth, blow out the unwanted water, leaves, etc.
Once the prey is isolated in their throat, the turtle gulps it back and swollows it whole and live. This is a site to behold, akin to the observation of a Boa Constrictor capturing a rat.
Perhaps, this is enough information for the readers. However, if anyone is further interested in why I am personally obsessed with these amazing creatures, then please read on in the following post.
Thanks for the interest, and blessings to all in this wonderful Season of Light and Life!
Peter Greenspan
they were flawless and very hardy.
