Call: Cantor's huge softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii
Where it lives: Rivers in South and Southeast Asia
What it consumes: Fish, shellfishes, mollusks, frogs, bugs, birds, little mammals
Why it's remarkable: Cantor's huge softshell turtles– called in honor of Danish zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor– invest 95% of their lives totally motionless, buried under mud or sand in shallow rivers with just their eyes and snorkel-like snouts extending out. When these unusual-looking reptiles area something to consume, they can move at lightning-quick speeds.
When they identify fish, frogs or shellfishes, they quickly extend their necks to strike their victim. They have long claws and effective jaws that are strong enough to squash bone.
Unlike their hard-shelled cousins, these turtles have tough, flat, green or brown shells. These big, freshwater turtles are likewise referred to as “frog-faced softshells” due to the fact that of their amphibian-like facial functions. They can mature to 40 inches (100 centimeters) long– although some sources recommend they can grow even bigger– and weigh more than 100 kgs.
Like other soft-shell turtle types, they are believed to have the capability to extract oxygen from the water through their skin, which assists them remain undersea for extended periods of time. They can just get so much oxygen this method, so they come up to the surface area to breathe air two times a day.
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These threatened turtles are incredibly uncommon: Between 1985 and 1995, just a single specimen was discovered. They are belonging to rivers in India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and Indonesia.
In 2024, the very first nesting website of a Cantor was found by biologists on the banks of the Chandragiri River in Kerala, India. The scientists utilized understanding from regional neighborhoods to find the turtle.
