📷 Stahlkocher · CC BY-SA 3.0
📷 No machine-readable author provided. Brunobarreto~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims).
📷 No machine-readable author provided. Jasenlee~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims).
IUCN: Least Concern
Matamata Turtle
Chelus fimbriata
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassReptilia›OrderTestudines›FamilyChelidae›GenusChelus
About
The matamata turtle looks like a piece of dead leaf and mud, with a rough shell, a tubular snout, and skin flaps that camouflage it among streambed debris. It walks along the bottom rather than swimming and catches fish by lunging its jaws open so fast that prey is sucked in with the water. Little is known about its breeding, but captive animals have lived to 40, and habitat loss and collection for the pet trade are its main pressures.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Slow streams, ponds, swamps, and blackwater tributaries of the Amazon and Orinoco
🍃Diet Carnivore — fish and aquatic invertebrates sucked in with a sudden gape
📏Size & Weight Shell length 40–45 cm
•weight About 15 kg
⏳Lifespan Up to 40 years in care
🗺Range Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America
ReptileTurtle
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Slow streams, ponds, swamps, and blackwater tributaries of the Amazon and Orinoco
🍃Diet Carnivore — fish and aquatic invertebrates sucked in with a sudden gape
📏Size & Weight Shell length 40–45 cm
•weight About 15 kg
⏳Lifespan Up to 40 years in care
🗺Range Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America
Photo Credits
#1Stahlkocher · CC BY-SA 3.0
#2No machine-readable author provided. Brunobarreto~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain
#3No machine-readable author provided. Jasenlee~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 2.5
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