What are these 5 oddly-shaped turtles called? Have you seen the Crocodile-head, Pig-nose, or Dead-leaf?

Snapping Turtle

Snapping turtles have scales on their bodies, similar to crocodiles, and pointy mouths. When they see a stranger or feel threatened, they stretch out their necks, often keeping their mouths open to demonstrate power, and make a hissing sound. Snapping turtles are also the fiercest among turtle species; compared to other turtles, the character of the Snapping Turtle is more active and aggressive.

The Alligator Snapping Turtle is relatively timid and easily frightened; once a stranger approaches, the Alligator Snapping Turtle will show hostility. The Common Snapping Turtle, on the other hand, is relatively bolder.

Giant Snake-necked Turtle

As the name suggests, the form of this turtle is very different from ordinary turtles; its head and neck are extremely long, looking just like a snake. For the longest Giant Snake-necked Turtles, the combined length of the head and neck is even longer than their carapace (the back part of the turtle shell). The distance from the head to the tail is about over 80 centimeters.

Because the Giant Snake-necked Turtle is large in size, very few people keep this kind of turtle as a pet. One benefit of the Giant Snake-necked Turtle is its high IQ; in just 1 month, they can recognize their owner and then be completely obedient to them.

Big-headed Turtle

The Big-headed Turtle (Eagle-beak Turtle) has a flat head, so large that it cannot even retract into the shell. However, they are not stupid; the Big-headed Turtle has hard scutes on its head which can also serve a protective function. The source of their Chinese name is their unique upper and lower jaws that are hooked like an eagle’s beak, looking like a bite would hurt for a long time.

The carapace of the Big-headed Turtle is shaped like an egg, slightly concave in the front and middle sections, with a keel (a raised ridge on the back) in the center. The Big-headed Turtle has 5 claws on its front paws, but only 4 on its rear paws; as a freshwater turtle (a type of turtle living in fresh water), there is naturally webbing between the fingers and toes. Their colors are quite mixed, but can generally be divided into 3 types. The tail of the Big-headed Turtle is very long, almost as long as its body. By the way! I almost forgot to mention, their body length is around 8-17 centimeters, and this is without counting the tail and head.

Pig-nosed Turtle

The Pig-nosed Turtle is commonly known as the “Two-clawed Turtle” and also called the Oceania Pig-nosed Turtle. Because its nose shape resembles a pig’s snout, it earned the reputation of “Pig-nosed Turtle”. The Pig-nosed Turtle is a highly aquatic (living in water) freshwater turtle species, which means that apart from laying eggs, the Pig-nosed Turtle basically lives in deep underwater for long periods and rarely comes ashore. Therefore, its limbs have specialized into flippers (limbs specialized to resemble fish fins), and cannot retract into the shell, which is also unique among freshwater turtles.

Besides the unique characteristic of its nose, the Pig-nosed Turtle has a gray stripe behind its eyes. Its limbs have specialized into flippers to adapt to aquatic life and cannot retract into the shell. Near the midpoint of each forelimb, there are two distinct claws, which is also one of its characteristics.

Mata Mata

The Mata turtle is commonly known as the Dead-leaf Turtle (枯叶龟）, primarily because the Mata turtle’s body shape resembles a dry leaf floating in the water, disguising itself in nature. The Mata Mata is carnivorous, feeding on aquatic invertebrates (animals without a backbone), worms, snails, shrimp, and fish.

The Mata Mata has nocturnal hunting habits. Its food includes fish, amphibians (animals where larvae live in water and adults lead a semi-aquatic life), freshwater mollusks (soft-bodied animals with shells), or birds and small mammals that fall into the water. The Mata Mata’s hunting method is unique among turtles. They remain motionless in the water, allowing them to blend into the surrounding environment. Not until the food approaches does the Mata Mata stretch its head close and open its mouth to capture the prey when it’s not paying attention.