Unveiling Turtle Voices

A Short Documentary by Basil Minder
in Cooperation with Dr. Gabriel J. Cohen

Our journey faces challenges like fires, poaching, and climate change. Extreme heat and remote locations push us and our gear to the limits. We uncover legends and insights from local communities, deepening our scientific research on turtles. The documentary highlights the dedicated local team and volunteers protecting endangered turtles amidst communication struggles, cultural differences, and resource needs, especially during mating and nesting seasons. Through interviews and reflections, we explore the impact on researchers and locals, revealing a narrative of human resilience and understanding. We aim for film festivals to share these vital discoveries and stories globally. Your support will help elevate the hidden realities of the Amazon.

A Story with Depth

We follow an award-winning researcher alongside the river turtles in the Amazon rainforest and come across fires, poaching and climate change.

Where Science leads you

We followed Dr. Gabriel Jorgewich Cohen, an award-winning, Brazilian, young evolutionary biologist from the University of Zürich, on his latest expedition to study the Amazon River turtles, the largest freshwater turtles in the world. After proving turtle communication in published articles in 2022, he gained worldwide media attention. Now, this groundbreaking research continues in some of the most remote and challenging areas of the Amazon, far from cities and modern civilization. Gabriel is dedicated to uncovering the hidden communication of turtles (Podocnemis expansa) in their early stage of life, using hydrophones and microphones in their nests. This expedition aims to further work on the understanding of the vocalizations and social behaviors of these fascinating creatures.

Amazonian Basin | Trombetas River
ICMBio Trombetas - Base avançada Tabuleiro

Screenshot 2024-10-01 at 17.23.56.png
Screenshot 2024-06-28 at 14.54.12.png
Screenshot 2024-06-28 at 14.55.32.png
Screenshot 2024-06-28 at 15.07.39.png
Screenshot 2024-06-28 at 15.05.52.png
231017_DJI_01_30_47_21.jpg

More Scientific Background

In August of 2022 Gabriel presented his research at the 20th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. His presentation won the Student Award for Best Paper! See that talk here, and HEAR what the hubbub is about!

New recordings featuring the voices of 53 species of turtle, caecilian and tuatara previously thought to be silent have illuminated the evolutionary origins of vocal communication. Gabriel Jorgevich-Cohen a PhD student at the University of Zurich has travelled the world collecting recordings and summarised his findings in Nature Communications this week. He spoke to BBC science correspondent Georgina Rannard who explains his findings, what they mean, and shows us some of her favourite turtle sounds.

  • In order to produce a captivating and high-quality documentary, we need your support for various critical upcoming aspects of the project. Here’s how your contribution will help:

    Post-Production: We need funds to cover the extensive post-production work, including editing, sound design, music composing and color grading.

  • A portion of the funds will go towards music composing, sfx and music licenses to enhance the storytelling aspect of the film.

    Publication and Festival Applications: We aim to submit our film to various film festivals with the goal of giving the story international attention. Your support will help cover the costs of these applications and entry fees, increasing our chances of reaching a wider audience and gaining recognition.

  • Help us make this movie! We thank you for your support, no matter how big or small. Your contribution brings us one step closer to bringing this extraordinary story to life!

By donating, you support JungleLens' natural history documentaries and video projects. While not a registered nonprofit, donations are not tax-deductible, but every contribution—big or small—helps bring these stories to life. Refund Policy: Donations are non-refundable, as they are voluntary contributions toward our mission.

Meet the Team

  • Dr. Gabriel Jorgewich Cohen

    Researcher
    Evolutionary Biologist University of Zürich
    https://jorgewichcohen.com/

  • Rafael Carlos Benetti Paredero, MSc.

    Field Assistant
    Co-Founder Caiman Ambientals

  • Basil Minder, MSc.

    Producer & Director of Photography
    Founder JungleLens Productions