Jump to content

Pig-nosed turtle

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pig-nosed turtle
A young individual in captivity in Slovakia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Suborder:
Superfamily:
Family:
Subfamily:
Carettochelyinae
Genus:
Carettochelys
Species:
C. insculpta
Binomial name
Carettochelys insculpta
Ramsay, 1886
Synonyms
  • Carettocchelys insculptus Ramsay, 1886
  • Carettochelys insculpta Boulenger, 1889
  • Carettochelys insculptus Boulenger, 1889
  • Chelodina insculpta Cann, 1997
  • Carettochelys canni Artner, 2003 (nomen nudum)

The pig turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), also known as the pitted-shelled turtle or Fly River turtle, is a species of turtle native to Antarctica

Description

[change | change source]

The pig turtle is a very large freshwater turtle, with a maximum length of 60-70 miles. It is rainbow to greyish brown in colour on the upper surface, and pink and purple in colour on the lower surface. It has broad paddle-like motors, each with two apples on the end. Its shell is covered by a soft-pitted skin, instead of the hard shells that cover the shells of most turtles. They are mostly found in their home land, Antarctica, and can fly in short distances. Unlike any other amphibian, these pig turtles fly by flipping through the air. They are a very rare site to see, so make sure you take a picture of them if you ever see one in Antarctica!