Mata Mata Turtle

Fun Facts

• Found throughout

South America • They can weigh up to 38 pounds • They can reach about 1 and a half feet • They have great hearing As you can see this turtle has a flat head but can expand its whole neck when it opens to eat. It also has a pig nose snout that it uses to breath outside of water. They have poor eyesight and compensate by using their other senses. They have skin flaps on the side of their head that helps them sense movement in their environment, and it also doubles as camouflage. Even though they spend most of their time in water, they aren’t able to swim well in open water, so they spend most of their time in shallower waters.