Matamata Turtle

Chelus fimbriatus

Status: Least Concern

Size: up to 37 inches in length

Habitat: Slow moving freshwater streams.

At the Zoo: Reptile House

The matamata turtle has to be one of the strangest looking turtles in the world.  They live in the Amazon River and Orinoco basins of South America.  At first glance it looks like a piece of debris in the water.   You might see algae growing on the shell and after you get a good look you will agree that the camouflage on this turtle almost perfect.

Matamatas have short legs and are poor swimmers, but are well adapted for walking on the bottom of muddy waterways.  The long protuberance on the snout is used as a snorkel allowing the turtle to hardly move as it waits for prey to swim by.   The tubercles on the head and the barbels on the chin are believed to have sensory nerves that may help the turtle detect vibrations made by prey in the water.

Matamatas eat fish and all kinds of invertebrates that they find in the water. If given a chance they will also eat small birds and mammals that they can catch or they find dead.

Photos

Cover,  Rawpixel Ltd, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Top and bottom, Muzina_Shanghai, Wikimedia Creative Commons