Thousands of baby giant South American river turtles have hatched along sandbars in the largest aggregation of the reptiles in the world.<br /><br />Video, captured by WCS partner Ecovale, shows thousands of baby turtles emerging from their nests and waddle across the sand toward the river.<br /><br />An estimated 80,000 female turtles congregated on the beaches of Guaporé/Inténez River, along the border of Brazil and Bolivia, to dig nests and lay eggs, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).<br /><br />Giant South American river turtles reach up to 3.5 feet and 200 pounds.<br /><br />They are the largest species of freshwater turtle in Latin America.<br /><br />Camila Ferrara, aquatic turtle specialist for the WCS Brazil Program, said: “The annual nesting and hatching of the giant South American river turtle is one Earth’s great natural spectacles.<br /><br />“It is visually stunning, but also extremely important ecologically to the western Amazon ecosystem.”<br /><br />The turtles contribute to the food web of the river, and they disperse seeds that help regenerate vegetation, the organization said.<br /><br />German Forero-Medina, Scientific Director with WCS Colombia, added: “Safeguarding this population of giant South American river turtles takes a community approach.<br /><br />“WCS proudly works with local partners with a direct stake in ensuring that this species is part of their natural heritage.”
