Yangtze giant softshell turtle
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), also known commonly as the Red River giant softshell turtle, the Shanghai softshell turtle, the speckled softshell turtle, and Swinhoe's softshell turtle, is an extremely rare species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It may be the largest living freshwater turtle in the world. The species is native to eastern and southern China and northern Vietnam. With a known population of only two or three individuals, and with the last known females dying out, this species is considered functionally extinct.
External image | |
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One individual in Suzhou Zoo, 2008. |
Yangtze giant softshell turtle | |
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One of the two R. swinhoei of Dong Mo, Son Tay, Vietnam | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | Trionychidae |
Genus: | Rafetus |
Species: | R. swinhoei |
Binomial name | |
Rafetus swinhoei (Gray, 1873) | |
Yangtze giant softshell turtle range | |
Synonyms | |
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