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Did You Know?
The temperature of a developing egg will determine the sex of a hatchling turtle. Temperatures in the range of 82ºF -86 ºF will produce mainly males. 89ºF -90 ºF will produce females.
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Look for the pig-nosed turtle in the Aquatic Wing of the Reptile House.

Home > Meet Our Animals > Reptiles > Turtles > Pig-nosed Turtle
Pig-nosed Turtle
Carettochelys insculpta
 
Size Up to 22 inches in length
Weight Up to 50 lbs
Conservation Status On the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the pig-nosed turtle is listed as Vulnerable.
Diet Pig-nosed turtles are omnivores. In the wild the turtles consume a wide variety of plant and animal matter, including fruit and leaves as well as crustaceans, mollusks and insects. At the Zoo, the turtles are offered a base diet of Fresh Water Turtle biscuit. The biscuits provide the majority of nutrients the animals require. For activity and enrichment their diet also includes fruits, vegetables, small fish and the leaves of local trees. The animals are offered a different combination of food each day.
Geographic Range Northern Australia, southern Irian Jaya, and southern New Guinea
Where to find me in the Zoo Reptile and Amphibian House
Note: Description below should include Longevity, Behavior, and Reproduction information
Although the pig-nosed turtle looks and acts like a sea turtle, its closest living relatives are the many species of soft-shelled turtles that inhabit North America, Africa, India, the Middle East, and Asia. This large turtle is unique amongst its counterparts by having large paddle-like flippers like a sea turtle, a shell that does not have scutes (scales), and nostrils that form a pig-like snout. Dorsal coloration varies from gray to olive. The ventral areas can be cream, white, or yellow.

Longevity
Over 30 years in captivity.

Behavior
This nearly fully aquatic species of turtle uses its large paddle-like flippers to propel itself adeptly through rivers, ponds, swamps, and lagoons searching for food.

Reproduction
The female pig-nosed turtle lays between 7-19 eggs during the dry season. The eggs are similar in size and appearance to ping-pong balls and have the thickest shells of any turtle species. The hatchlings emerge only after the first heavy rains of the wet season.

 
Meatball:  Male, arrived at the Zoo on December 11, 1971.

Enrichment


Adoption Information


Featured Foster Parent


Sources: 1) Philadelphia Zoo staff; 2) Georges A, Doody S, Young J, Cann J. 2000. The Australian Pig-Nosed Turtle. Canberra (AUS): Robey. p. 1-31; 3) Ernst CH, Barbor RW. 1989. Turtles of the World. Washington (DC): Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 94-95. 4) IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org Downloaded on 09 July 2009.