South American Snapping Turtle

South American Snapping Turtle

Chelydra acutirostris

Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
at Cahuita National Park
1 Verified sightings at Cahuita National Park From 2019 to 2026
49 Verified sightings across all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the South American Snapping Turtle

The South American snapping turtle (Chelydra acutirostris) is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. This species, which is endemic to Central and northwestern South America, was previously considered a subspecies of C. serpentina. Its restricted range in South America reflects its recent arrival there as part of the Great American Interchange.

Chelydra acutirostris is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. No subspecies of C. acutirostris are recognized. On July 9 2026, the South American snapping turtle was evaluated as Near Threatened and its populations are starting to be decreasing by the IUCN Red List. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
2 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
5 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
6 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
7 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
8 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
9 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
10 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
11 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
← Back to Cahuita National Park