Savanna Field Station 🇧🇿

Our new #student accommodation is coming along. By early next year we plan on being up and running for student trips. Reach out if you are interested in bringing groups here. #Belize #StudyAbroad #Wildlife #Research #Education

Oct is #Hicatee Awareness Month. 1 of the most striking & unique features of these amazing #turtles are their heads. Females have brown heads and males can have an extraordinary range of colors/patterns. Other than the top left turtle, all of these came from a single population!

During large rains some #fish will disperse across the flooded savanna. It's a risky move and not all of them make it. This Jack Dempsey cichlid became stranded so we helped him back into a nearby pond. #Belize

Many groups and individuals helped various parts of this massive project, and we appreciate all the support: Spanish Creek Wildlife Society, @WCSBelize BFREE, @TurtleSurvival @PACT

We also found that they move more after the first floods of the rainy season, make extensive use of floodplains, and tragically, have really high, unsustainable harvest rates. 2/3

Hot of the press: our paper on Central American River #Turtle (Hicatee movement) patterns is out ! Hicatee need a lot of space, with some individuals using nearly 22 km of stream over a 5-month period. 1/3 int-res.com/abstracts/esr/…

So much rage in such a tiny package. This hatchling red-cheeked mud turtle (swanka) was using the rain as an opportunity to explore the savanna. #Turtles #BabyAnimals #TinyTurtles #Belize

"How dare you touch me. I am a fearsome dinosaur! Put me down this instant." This adorable hatchling #crocodile showed up in one of our traps this morning (we did immediately put him back in his pond). #Belize #BabyAnimals

Furrowed Wood #Turtles congregate in temporary pools & use them to find mates. Today, we spotted a commotion in a newly formed pool. Turned out this male was chasing & biting another male! This species is usually mild-mannered. We’ve never seen them so aggressive. #Belize

It's baby #crocodile season. One of our resident #crocs nested successfully, and now our pond has 12 adorable tiny crocodiles swimming around in it. #WildlifePhotography #Belize

It's always a treat to see this feisty, pugnacious, ornery #turtle species: the Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle. They may be small, but they have a BIG attitude! #savannafieldstation #sfsbelize #freshwaterturtles #belizewildlife #narrowbridgedmuskturtle #belize

It's always a treat to see this feisty, pugnacious, ornery #turtle species: the Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle. They may be small, but they have a BIG attitude! #savannafieldstation #sfsbelize #freshwaterturtles #belizewildlife #narrowbridgedmuskturtle #belize

Congratulations to former #sfsbelize student Larissa Saarel being awarded the ESA's Murray F. Buell Award for her excellent work on the #giantmuskturtle here in #Belize! #savannafieldstation #staurotypus #freshwaterturtles #ecology #research #belizewildlife #belize

And that's a wrap for this year's @TurtleSurvival Alliance conference! Fun times, good talks, and saving #turtles! #savannafieldstation #sfsbelize #turtleecologylab #freshwaterturtles #research

@ThomasZapletal @Tzap53 did a great job presenting the work he did in #belize on Loggerhead (Northern Giant Musk) #turtle bite force at this year's @turtlesurvival conference! Per size, they have a stronger bite force than even the infamous Alligator Snapping Turtle! #sfsbelize

We made it to this year's meeting of the @TurtleSurvival Alliance (naturally went straight for the turtle tank) looking forward to 3 days of hearing about #turtle #research and seeing old friends

Came across this gorgeous little #hatchling #bocatura (Meso-American Slider) on a walk around the station. Can't get over how stunning the shell is on this little guy! #sfsbelize #savannafieldstation #mesoamericanslider #freshwaterturtles #turtles #belizewildlife #belize

Moo Frog night is always a special night here at #sfsbelize Once the rainy season hits, the night after a really big rain they emerge from underground en masse, mate, and then promptly return to their underground burrows. #savannafieldstation #moofrog #belizewildlife #belize

New girl! After the loss of a #jaguar in March who we had seen on our cameras, we're excited to see a new female! As always, slow down, take care on the roads, & remember we share this beautiful country with incredible #wildlife that deserves our respect #savannafieldstation

Being in the water with #hicatee is truly magical. I wish everyone could see them like this & appreciate them as incredible animals, rather than a food source. Belize is famous for its #wildlife, & hicatee are every bit as spectacular as a toucan, jaguar, or tapir. #turtles