Platemys platycephala

<<Home                                                                                                  <Back                                                                    Next>

Family: CHELIDAE

Scientific Name: Platemys platycephala.

Common Names: Brazil - Jabuti machado. South America: charapita de altura, chata.

Length: Up to 17cm.

Appearance: One of the smallest species of turtle in the Amazon. The flattened chocolate brown carapace has two keels and a groove down the middle.  

Habitat: This species is common throughout the Amazon basin and is found in shallow temporary ponds within the forest. They spend a signifiacant amount of time foraging for food on land.

Diet: Omnivores. They have been observed eating frogspawn and tadpoles and vegetable material such as the fruits of the Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa).

Reproduction: copulation occurs during the rainy season. They lay only one large egg that can reach a third of the female's length. The average incubation period is 5 months.

Exploitation: this species is not locally exploited due to their small size and the difficulty finding them in sufficient quantities. They are kept as pets in both America and Europe where the majority are wild caught.