Black River Turtle

Black River Turtle

Rhinoclemmys funerea

Silhouette: Idamara Fernandes Santa Cruz · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Cahuita National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

54 Verified sightings at Cahuita National Park From 2019 to 2026
809 In all 9 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black River Turtle

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
2 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
3 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
6 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
7 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Parque Municipal Summit 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
3 San Antonio Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar 🇨🇷 Costa Rica In captivity
5 Centro de Rescate Las Pumas 🇨🇷 Costa Rica In captivity
6 International Animal Rescue – Costa Rica 🇨🇷 Costa Rica In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black River Turtle in Cahuita National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black River Turtle sighting in Cahuita National Park on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 31 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black River Turtle in Cahuita National Park?

May

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black River Turtle in Cahuita National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March and December–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Black River Turtle?

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.

Is Cahuita National Park the best place to see a Black River Turtle?

3rd of 9

Of the 9 parks where we can rate Black River Turtle sightings, Cahuita National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 30%).

Where does the Black River Turtle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black River Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Cahuita National Park (54 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.

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