LARGEST LIVING FRESHWATER TURTLE
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (R. swinhoei) measures
more than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long and up to 0.7 m (2 ft 3.5 in)
wide. The heaviest recorded specimen tipped the scales at
250 kg (551 lb). Claims that Cantor’s giant softshell turtle
(Pelochelys cantorii, see above) is a larger freshwater
turtle are debatable, as it seems likely that this species is
a composite of several separate undifferentiated species.SMALLEST
SEA TURTLE
Native to the Gulf of
Mexico and warm stretches
of the Atlantic Ocean,
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle
(Lepidochelys kempii)
exhibits a maximum
carapace length of 75 cm
(29.5 in) and a weight of
50 kg (110 lb). Its carapace
width is almost the same
as its length, giving it a
circular appearance. The
olive or Pacific ridley turtle
(L. olivacea), found in the
Pacific and Indian oceans,
is slightly heavier than
its close relation.
LAZIEST FRESHWATER TURTLE
Found in large lowland rivers such as the Mekong in Cambodia, Cantor’s giant softshell turtle
(Pelochelys cantorii) spends 95% of its life motionless, buried in sand on the river bottom
waiting for prey such as fish and molluscs to approach. Twice a day, it comes up to the surface
of the water to breathe. Its primarily passive existence is a contrast to the far more active
loggerhead turtle (see left), although both species spend long periods underwater.
DEEPEST DIVE BY A CHELONIAN
Unusually for turtles, the leatherback
spends most of its time in the open
ocean, where it dives for jellyfish to eat.
Broad shoulders and a tapered shell
make it a powerful, streamlined swimmer.
In May 1987, a leatherback fitted with
a recording device was measured by
Dr Scott Eckert (USA) as reaching a depth
of 1,200 m (3,937 ft) off the US Virgin
Islands in the West Indies.LARGEST SNAPPING TURTLE
Members of the Chelydridae family, snapping turtles are
notable for their large heads and powerful hooked jaws.
The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii, inset
below) has a plated shell and a powerful bite, just like its
namesake. Native to fresh water in the south-eastern USA,
the turtle weighs on average 80 kg (176 lb), but can come in
at more than 100 kg (220 lb). One specimen found in Kansas
in 1937 had a reported weight of 183 kg (403 lb).LARGEST CHELONIAN
On 23 Sep 1988, the body of a male leatherback turtle
(D. coriacea) washed up on the beach at Harlech in Gwynedd,
UK. It measured 2.91 m (9 ft 6.5 in) along the carapace, and
2.77 m (9 ft 1 in) across the front flippers. At 914 kg (2,019 lb
6 oz), the leatherback leviathan weighed twice as much as
a grand piano. On 16 Feb 1990, the turtle was put on display
at the National Museum Wales in Cardiff, UK.
ANIMALSOn^19 Jan^ 2016,
the Yangtze giant
softshell turtle Cu Rùa
(“Great Grandfather
Turtle”) died in Hanoi,
Vietnam. Sightings of
the venerable turtle
had been thought to
bring good luck..