Indians assured us that upstream on the Orinoco, from its mouth to its junction with the Apure, not one island nor one beach could be found to harvest eggs. The large arrau turtle fears inhabited places where there are many boats. It is a shy and suspicious animal, which raises its head above the water and hides on hearing the slightest noise. The beaches where nearly all the Orinoco turtles seem to annually gather is situated between the junction of the Orinoco and Apure and the Great Cataracts or Raudales between Abruta and the Atures mission. It seems that arrau turtles cannot climb up the cataracts, and that beyond Atures and Maypures you only find terekay turtles.