Chaco Side-necked Turtle

About the Chaco Side-necked Turtle

The Chaco side-necked turtle (Acanthochelys pallidipectoris) is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is endemic to the Gran Chaco region of South America, being found in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. The first description of the species was published in 1945 by Marcos A. Freiberg, who placed it in the genus Platemys. A man by the name Augusto V. Aula collected the holotype, a female, in July 1944, with the type locality being Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, Chaco, Argentina. John B. Iverson moved the species to the genus Acanthochelys in 1986.

A. pallidipectoris individuals are typically born with carapace lengths of about 31 mm (1.2 in), growing to 12.8–16.2 cm (5.0–6.4 in) and weighing about 400 g (14 oz) in adulthood, with the maximum recorded length being 17.5 cm (6.9 in). Females tend to be slightly larger and have their carapaces reach slightly higher than the males, while males have the thicker tails. The carapace in adults is elliptical, reaching its highest point right behind the centre and its broadest point near the 8th marginal scute, and has a shallow groove running down the middle, which gives the carapace the appearance of... Wikipedia →