Vertebrate fauna of
 Southeast Asia

  

 

   
Home  
——————————  
SE Asia fauna ...  
   
Primates
 Carnivorans
 Large Mammals
 Small Mammals
 Mammal calls
 Bats
—————
Birds
—————
 Snakes
 Lizards & Crocodilians
 Turtles
—————
 Amphibians
 Tadpoles
 Frog calls
—————
Freshwater Fishes
 Marine & Brackish Fishes
—————
Species Lists
 





 


 
——————————  
New Guinea herptiles ...  
Snakes   Lizards   Frogs  
——————————  
SE Asia Vert Records (SEAVR) archives ...  
  Indochina Records
  Indonesia & PNG Records
Philippines Records
 
——————————  
   
  New or updated pages ...
 
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
——————————  
 

Search this site ...

 
 


   

 
  ——————————  
 


Email :


Text and photos by Nick Baker, unless credited to others.
Copyright © Ecology Asia 2025

 
     
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

   
   
 
Pig-nosed Turtle 
Carettochelys insculpta
   
   

Fig 1
  

Fig 2
 

Fig 3
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family : CARETTOCHELYIDAE
Species : Carettochelys insculpta
Maximum carapace length : 70 cm

The Pig-nosed Turtle (also known as the Fly River Turtle) is a unique species of freshwater chelonian: it is the only living member of the genus Carettochelys and the family Carettochelyidae.

Its name derives from the shape of its flexible, fleshy snout, and its forward-facing nostrils. Its overall shape resembles that of marine turtles, with a gently-domed, elongate carapace and flipper-like legs. The tail is short and thick in females, but longer and narrower in males.

The carapace of adults is greyish or greenish-grey in colour, while juveniles have a pale margin. The plastron (i.e. the underside) is cream.

This species is considered to be omnivorous, consuming a variety of aquatic plants and fallen vegetation, as well as a range of aquatic invertebrates.

The species inhabits lowland stretches of large rivers on the southern side of the island of New Guinea, including the Kikori and Fly rivers (in Papua New Guinea) and Wania river (Papua Province, Indonesia), and rivers of the Northern Territory of Australia. Its eggs are laid in nests excavated in sandbanks along the margins of such rivers. Nests are also documented on coastal sandbanks, where the Kikori River empties into the Gulf of Papua (Geroges et al, 2008).

In parts of New Guinea the meat and eggs of this turtle are a component of the traditional diet of river-dwelling people, but over-harvesting and the sale of turtles to wildlife traders has had a dramatic impact on some populations.


Figs 1 and 2 : Adult specimen, with an estimated carapace length of 50 cm, patrolling the margin of Macritchie Reservoir, Singapore. This animal was probably a former pet, which was deliberately released into the reservoir.

Fig 3 : Kikori River, Papua New Guinea. This image shows one tributary in the braided, lowland stretch of the river where sandbanks provide suitable nesting sites for the Pig-nosed Turtle (Georges et al, 2008)..


References :

Georges, A., Alacs, E., Pauza, M., Kinginapi, F., Ona, A. & Eisemberg, C.  (2008). Freshwater turtles of the Kikori Drainage, Papua New Guinea, with special reference to the pig-nosed turtle, Carettochelys insculpta. Wildlife Research 35:700-711.