Yellow-headed Sideneck
Podocnemis unifilis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassTestudines
- FamilyPodocnemididae (South American and Malagasy River Turtles)
- GenusPodocnemis (South American River Turtles)
- SpeciesPodocnemis unifilis (Yellow-headed Sideneck)
The yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), also known commonly as the yellow-headed sideneck turtle and the yellow-spotted river turtle, and locally as the taricaya, is one of the largest South American river turtles. Podocnemis unifilis is a type of side-necked turtles, so called because they do not pull their heads directly into their shells, but rather bend their necks sideways to tuck their heads under the rim of their shells. Side-neck turtles are classified as members of the suborder Pleurodira. Wikipedia →
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Yellow-headed Sideneck at Noel Kempff Mercado National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madidi National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Noel Kempff Mercado National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 10 | Cordillera Azul National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 11 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |