Rhinoclemmys funerea
Silhouette: Idamara Fernandes Santa Cruz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The black wood turtle (Rhinoclemmys funerea), or black river turtle is one of nine species of turtle in the genus Rhinoclemmys, which is in the family Geoemydidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Media related to Rhinoclemmys funerea at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Centro de Rescate Las Pumas | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | International Animal Rescue – Costa Rica | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black River Turtle sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 64 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black River Turtle in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black River Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Black River Turtle sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%), Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 30%) and Cahuita National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black River Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (48 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
