Yangtze giant turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), the world's largest freshwater turtle and one of the most endangered
Rafetus swinhoei is a species of turtle.family Three-clawed turtles. The specific name is given in honor of the British naturalist Robert Swaino. The total length of the carapace reaches 109 cm, width 160–200 cm, weight up to 200 kg. Sexual dimorphism is observed: females are larger than males. The head is quite large and wide.
A female turtle about 1.5 m long and weighing 93 kgfound dead on the shores of Dong Mo Lake in Hanoi's Son Tay district. The cause of death is still unknown, Vietnamese news site VNExpress reported.
This particular female giant softshell turtleThe Yangtze was discovered only in October 2020. At that time, the existence of other individuals was not known. The last known female of the species was reported to have died after a failed artificial insemination attempt at the Suzhou Zoo in China in April 2019.
When the dead turtle was discovered, the defendersnature hoped that it belonged to another unknown female. But now experts have confirmed the worst fears of environmentalists. “This is the same individual that we have been observing in recent years,” said Tim McCormack, director of the Indo-Myanmar Asian Turtle Conservation Program. “This is a real blow.”
The known population of the Yangtze giant softshell turtle is currently just two males. Experts said that if the female had survived, she could have “laid one hundred or more eggs per year.”
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Cover: A close-up of the Yangtze Giant Softshell Tortoise taken in 2020
Image courtesy of WCS Vietnam