Arrau

The form of the feet and head, the appendages of the chin and throat, and the position of the anus, seem to indicate that the arrau, and probably the terekay also, belong to a new subdivision of the tortoises, that may be separated from the emydes. ❋ Unknown (1851)

The arrau tortoise, no doubt, like the crocodile, knows the spot where she has made her nest; but, not daring to return to the beach on which the Indians have formed their encampment, how can she distinguish her own young from those which do not belong to her? ❋ Unknown (1851)

The arrau tortoises collect in troops in the month of January, then issue from the water, and warm themselves in the sun, reposing on the sands. ❋ Unknown (1851)

The upper shell is of a black colour inclining to green; the feet and claws are like those of the arrau. ❋ Unknown (1851)

It seems that the arrau does not pass beyond the cataracts; and we were assured, that only the turtles called terekay, (in Spanish terecayas,) are found above Atures and Maypures. ❋ Unknown (1851)

If the arrau inhabited the bed of the river above the cataracts, the Indians of the Upper Orinoco would not travel so far to procure the flesh and the eggs of this tortoise. ❋ Unknown (1851)

Besides the arrau turtles, of which I have in a former place given a detailed account, an innumerable quantity of land tortoises also, called morocoi, are found on the banks of the ❋ Unknown (1851)

The arrau, called by the Spaniards of the Missions simply tortuga, is an animal whose existence is of great importance to the nations on the ❋ Unknown (1851)

The period at which the large arrau tortoise lays its eggs coincides with the period of the lowest waters. ❋ Unknown (1851)

The great turtle (arrau*) dreads places inhabited by men, or much frequented by boats. ❋ Unknown (1851)

The "carapa," or arrau turtle, is, when full grown, forty or fifty pounds in weight. ❋ Mayne Reid (1850)

Besides the arrau turtles, of which I have in a former place given a detailed account, an innumerable quantity of land tortoises also, called morocoi, are found on the banks of the Orinoco, between Uruana and Encaramada. ❋ Alexander Von Humboldt (1814)

When we reflect on the difficulty experienced by the naturalist in getting out the body of the turtle without separating the upper and under shells, we cannot sufficiently wonder at the suppleness of the tiger's paw, which is able to remove the double armour of the arrau, as if the adhering parts of the muscles had been cut by a surgical instrument. ❋ Alexander Von Humboldt (1814)