Cantor's giant softshell turtle spends most of its time buried in mud or sand in shallow waters. (Photo credit: Jeffrey Schwilk/Alamy Stock Photo)
Name: Cantor's giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii)
Habitat: Rivers of South and Southeast Asia.
Diet: Fish, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, insects, birds, small mammals.
Why It's Impressive: Kantor's giant softshell turtles, named after Danish zoologist Theodor Edward Kantor, spend 95 percent of their time completely motionless, buried in mud or sand in shallow rivers, with only their eyes and tube-like snouts showing. However, when these unusual reptiles spot something edible, they can move at astonishing speeds.
When they spot fish, frogs or crustaceans, they quickly stretch out their necks to catch the prey. Their long claws and powerful jaws are strong enough to crush bones.
Unlike their hard-shelled relatives, these turtles have leathery, flat, green or brown shells. These large freshwater turtles are also called “frog-faced softshells” due to their amphibian-like facial features. They can grow up to 40 inches (100 centimeters) long — although some sources claim they can grow even larger — and weigh over 100 kilograms.
Like other softshell turtles, they are thought to be able to extract oxygen from the water through their skin, allowing them to stay underwater for long periods of time. However, they can only get a limited amount of oxygen this way, so they come to the surface to breathe air twice a day.
These endangered turtles are extremely rare: only one specimen was found between 1985 and 1995. They live in rivers in India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and Indonesia.
In 2024, biologists discovered the first nesting cantor on the banks of the Chandragiri River in Kerala, India. Researchers used local community knowledge to locate the turtle.
TOPICS amazing animals
Lydia SmithSocial Link NavigationScience Writer
Lydia Smith is a health and science journalist working for publications in the UK and US. She holds an MA in Psychology from the University of Glasgow and an MA in English Literature from King's College London.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
