NOTES AND FIELD REPORTS

Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 2011, 10(1): 129132

g 2011 Chelonian Research Foundation

Nesting Activity and Clutch Size of Batagur

affinis edwardmolli from the Setiu River,
Terengganu, Malaysia
ENG-HENG CHAN1

AND

PELF-NYOK CHEN1

Turtle Conservation Centre, 56-2/1, Pangsapuri Cerong Lanjut,

Jalan Cerong Lanjut, 20300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
[chan@turtleconservationcentre.org;
pelf@turtleconservationcentre.org]

ABSTRACT. Nesting activity of a depleted population of

the eastern Malay Peninsula river terrapin, Batagur
affinis edwardmolli, in the Setiu River, Terengganu,
Malaysia, is documented for the first time over a 6year period (20042009). The number of clutches
deposited per year ranged from 17 to 30 with annual
average clutch sizes ranging from 23 to 30 eggs per
clutch. The nesting season is brief, beginning at the
end of January and continuing through March.
The Setiu River, located in northeastern peninsular
Malaysia, is home to 2 of the worlds most endangered
freshwater turtles: the eastern Malay Peninsula river
terrapin (Batagur affinis edwardmolli) and the painted
terrapin (Batagur borneoensis). The taxonomy of these 2
species has been recently revised by Praschag et al. (2007,
2008, 2009). Praschag et al. (2009) concluded that B.
affinis edwardmolli occurs in Cambodia and eastern
Malay Peninsula and is distinct from B. affinis affinis

129

that occurs in Sumatra and western Malay Peninsula. The

rivers of eastern Malay Peninsula, particularly the Setiu,
Terengganu, and Dungun rivers still support viable
populations of B. affinis edwardmolli. However, these
populations are under threat from egg collection, sand
mining, incidental catch in fishing gear, dam construction
(Sharma and Tisen 2000), and agro-based activities in the
hinterland of the rivers.
In Terengganu (Fig. 1), the Department of Wildlife
and National Parks (DWNP) carries out egg incubation
and head-starting projects involving B. affinis edwardmolli in the Terengganu and Dungun rivers, but other
localities have been largely neglected. In view of this, the
authors began collecting information on the incidence of
nesting and clutch sizes from local egg collectors on the
Setiu River in 2004. The nesting banks covered were
Tebing Pasir Penarik (lat 5u36957.350N, long
102u48916.440E), Tebing Pasir Pak Lah Teh (lat
5u35958.440N, long 102u47952.000E), and Kuala Baharu
(lat 5u38936.650N, long 102u46919.900E) (Fig. 1). These
are the main nesting sites and would account for about
90% of nesting activity in the Setiu River. None of them
are protected, and they have been subjected to rampant egg
collection for decades. During the nesting season (end of
January through the end of March), local villagers wait for
gravid terrapins to ascend the banks, then capture them and
bring them to a secret location to nest. This is done to keep
away other villagers who may lay a stake on the eggs
deposited. The nesting banks are so intensely monitored
that no terrapin escapes detection. Two villagers were
employed to collect data on nesting incidence and clutch
size, as well as to purchase eggs for incubation. Hatchlings
produced were head-started for release (Chan et al. 2008).
This note reports on nesting density, nesting activity, and
clutch size of B. affinis edwardmolli in the Setiu River from
2004 to 2009.
Nesting Density and Activity. Data were collected
on number of clutches, total number of eggs deposited
each year, and clutch sizes (Table 1). Nesting activity
was generally low and ranged from 13 to 30 clutches per
year. Total number of eggs deposited ranged from 304
(2007) to 847 (2004). As expected, a declining trend
(R2 5 0.480) was exhibited over the 6-year period
(Fig. 2). Nesting activity at the Setiu River is comparable
to that at the Dungun River where 44, 38, and 13 egg
clutches were deposited in 2006, 2007, and 2008,
respectively (DWNP, unpubl. data, 2009). The Terengganu River, where 99 wild clutches were collected for
incubation in 2008 (DWNP, unpubl. data) hosts the
largest wild population of B. affinis edwardmolli in
Terengganu, and possibly in Malaysia and the world.
Generally, the first nesting events for the season
begin toward the end of January and are completed by the
end of March (Fig. 3). Within this 3-month period, 65%
86% of the clutches are deposited between mid-February
and mid-March. Batagur affinis affinis in rivers along the
west coast of peninsular Malaysia nest from November to

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Figure 1. The Setiu River, showing the location of the major nesting banks for the eastern Malay Peninsula river terrapin, Batagur
affinis edwardmolli. The inset is a map of peninsular Malaysia, showing the location of the State of Terengganu along its east coast by
the South China Sea.

February, when sand banks emerge following the

monsoon (Moll 1980).
Clutch Size. The overall average clutch size for
nests found from 2004 to 2009 was 26.9 7.5 SD
(n 5 132; actual number of clutches recorded was 137,
but clutch size data were unavailable for 3 clutches in 2005
and 2 in 2006). This is almost equivalent to the mean clutch
size of 26 reported by Moll (1980) for B. affinis affinis from
the Perak River along the western Malay Peninsula. The
number of eggs per clutch ranged from 7 to 43 and annual
average clutch size ranged from 23.4 to 30.1 (Table 1).
Conservation. Batagur affinis edwardmolli in the
Setiu River was in grave danger of local extirpation
before the project was initiated at this locality. For many
decades, 100% of the eggs deposited had been collected
for consumption and sale, and with no recruitment; the
population consisted only of aging males and females.

Since 2004, a total of 1767 eggs, representing 48% of the

total eggs deposited, have been procured for incubation
(Chan and Chen, unpubl. data, 2009). To date, a total of
986 head-started terrapins have been released into the Setiu
River. These comprise terrapins that have been headstarted for varying periods, ranging from a few months to
4 years. Detailed information on this aspect of the project
will be reported in a separate paper. Although this has
given a boost to the dwindling population, an increase in
the number of nests will not become obvious in the short
term due to the long maturation time of females (estimated
to be 25 years by Moll [1980]). Threats from excessive egg
collection have been curbed, and fishermen are currently
cooperating with the authors to reduce mortality in fishing
nets. However, sand mining is still practiced and a recent
government-approved large shrimp culture project along
the banks of the Chalok River (Fig. 1) is expected to impact

Table 1. Number of clutches, number of eggs deposited, and clutch size in the eastern Malay Peninsula river terrapin (Batagur affinis
edwardmolli) in the Setiu River from 2004 to 2009.
Year

No. of clutches

Total no. of eggs

2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Total

30
25
29
13
23
17
137

847
752a
685a
304
661
438
3687

Average clutch size

Range

1339
1543
739
734
1840
1734

28.23
30.09
23.62
23.38
28.74
25.76

6.85
7.41
8.08
8.84
6.17
5.51

Missing clutch size data for 3 clutches in 2005 and 2 in 2006 were estimated based on the years average clutch size.

NOTES AND FIELD REPORTS

131

negatively on the natural habitat of B. affinis edwardmolli

in the Setiu River.
Acknowledgments

Figure 2. Total number of clutches deposited per year along

the Setiu River, Terengganu, from 2004 to 2009. The regression
line shows the declining trend of the nesting activity in the
locality over the 6-year period.

The authors are indebted to the Turtle Survival

Alliance, Turtle Conservation Fund, and the Cleveland
Metroparks Zoo for grants that enabled various aspects
of the Batagur affinis edwardmolli conservation and
research project to be carried out. Thanks are due to
villagers Kazlina binti Mat Ali and Nik Sing bin Awang
for their involvement in the project, the egg collectors
and fishermen in the Setiu River for their cooperation,
and to Soh Chong Leng for his assistance in the initial
stages of this project.

Figure 3. Daily number of clutches deposited along the banks of the Setiu River, Terengganu, from 2004 to 2009.

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LITERATURE CITED
CHAN, E.H., KUCHLING, G., SOH C.L., AND CHEN, P.N. 2008. Setiu
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AZ. Available at http://www.turtleconservationcentre.org/wpcontent/uploads/ChanTucson2008.ppt
MOLL, E.O. 1980. Natural history of the river terrapin, Batagur
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Monographs No. 2. Chelonian Research Foundation.Freshwater turtle and tortoise utilization and conservation status in
Malaysia. In: van Dijk, P.P., Stuart, B.L., and Rhodins, A.G.J.
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Received: 14 January 2010
Revised and Accepted: 4 December 2010

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Copyright of Chelonian Conservation & Biology is the property of Allen Press Publishing Services Inc. and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's
express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.