Pig-nosed turtle

Papua soft-shelled turtles ( Carettochelys insculpta )

The Papua soft-shelled turtle ( Carettochelys insculpta ) is in New Guinea and northern Australia before especially in larger rivers such as the Fly River and also goes into the brackish waters of estuaries. It is the only extant species of the family Carettochelyidae, the other species and genera as Allaeochelys are extinct.

Features

Adult animals of Carettochelys insculpta can reach a carapace length of up to 50 cm. The tank still has all the plates, but no horn shields. Instead, it is covered on the top with a leather-like thick skin. The top of the tank and the legs and the head are dark olive, the plastron, and the bottoms of the legs and neck are yellowish pink. The fin-like limbs are only two free claws. The iris of the eye is pink, the head running into a blunt snout out.

Way of life

The Papua softshell turtle is a good swimmer, holds on, especially on the river bottom and is only briefly to breathe to the water surface. You can stay very long and takes oxygen probably also by the well-circulated through the oral cavity or Analsäcke under water. Their diet consists mainly of fish, molluscs and crustaceans. Less important is plant food.