Chinese softshell turtle

Pelodiscus sinensis · The Chinese softshell turtle is a freshwater turtle native to mainland China and Taiwan, with a soft, leathery shell instead of hard scutes.

Also called Chinese soft-shelled turtle.

Chinese softshell turtle
Photo: 尹若宇, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chinese softshell turtle
Photo: Σ64, CC BY 3.0
Chinese softshell turtle
Photo: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderTestudines
FamilyTrionychidae
GenusPelodiscus
SpeciesPelodiscus sinensis

Where it lives

Rivers, ponds and marshes of East Asia, from the Amur to Vietnam and Taiwan.

Fun facts

  • It can breathe like a snorkeler, using its long snout and tube-like nostrils to take in air while staying almost fully submerged.
  • Instead of urinating, it rinses urea out through its mouth, an adaptation that helps it survive in salty, brackish water.
  • When threatened, some populations can squirt a foul-smelling fluid from pores at the front edge of their shell.
  • A female can lay 8 to 30 eggs at once and produce up to 5 clutches in a single year.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).