{"id":9588,"date":"2025-10-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/?p=9588"},"modified":"2025-10-27T15:11:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T19:11:30","slug":"hicatee-awareness-month-species-spotlight-white-lipped-mud-turtle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/hicatee-awareness-month-species-spotlight-white-lipped-mud-turtle\/","title":{"rendered":"Hicatee Awareness Month Species Spotlight: White-lipped Mud Turtle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Throughout Hicatee Awareness Month,<\/a><\/strong> every Tuesday, we\u2019ll be highlighting one of the Belizean turtles featured in the Hicatee & Friends coloring book,<\/a><\/strong> created by our partners, the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education<\/a><\/strong> (BFREE), to raise awareness on the plight of Belize\u2019s native turtle species in need of conservation action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this special Turtle Tuesday, which also happens to be National Reptile Awareness Day, meet the White-lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum leucostomum<\/em>)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Jay Ballard<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This aptly named turtle gets its name from its distinctive cream-colored beak. Found throughout parts of Central and northern South America, it prefers habitats near creeks, rivers, puddles, and swamps\u2014perfect spots to hunt for prey like fish, crayfish, tadpoles, and mollusks. In addition to animal prey, White-lipped Mud Turtles also feed on plants such as ficus shoots and flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Jay Ballard<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The greatest threats to this species include habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation, as well as collection for local consumption and the pet trade. By spreading awareness about the challenges this turtle\u2014and others like it\u2014face, and by protecting natural habitats, we can help ensure their survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrate Hicatee Awareness Month with us by following us across our social platforms, following BFREE, and downloading the coloring book to learn more about Belize’s imperiled species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Header image by Jay Ballard<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Hicatee & Friends Coloring Book<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout Hicatee Awareness Month, every Tuesday, we\u2019ll be highlighting one of the Belizean turtles featured in the Hicatee & Friends coloring book, created by our partners, the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education (BFREE), to raise awareness on the plight of Belize\u2019s native turtle species in need of conservation action. On this special Turtle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHicatee Awareness Month Species Spotlight: White-lipped Mud Turtle - Turtle Survival Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/hicatee-awareness-month-species-spotlight-white-lipped-mud-turtle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hicatee Awareness Month Species Spotlight: White-lipped Mud Turtle - Turtle Survival Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Throughout Hicatee Awareness Month, every Tuesday, we\u2019ll be highlighting one of the Belizean turtles featured in the Hicatee & Friends coloring book, created by our partners, the Belize Foundation for Research & Environmental Education (BFREE), to raise awareness on the plight of Belize\u2019s native turtle species in need of conservation action. 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