Pig-nosed Turtle

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Pig-nosed Turtle Fun Facts 

  • Pig-nosed turtles are also known as fly river turtles, one look at their fleshy snout and big nostrils will show you how the pig-nosed turtle got one of its names.
  • They use this snout to breathe at the surface of the water while the rest of its body remains submerged in order to avoid predators. It also acts as a sensory organ in the murky coastal water it inhabits in order to search for food.
  • These turtles are found in northern Australia, West Papua, and southern New Guinea.
  • Although these turtle’s upper shells are covered with a layer of skin, it is not a softshell turtle.
  • Their undersides are a different color than their shell for camouflage. An animal swimming underneath would have a hard time seeing the turtle with the bright sky as a backdrop due to its creamy white coloration.

 

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Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Pig-nosed Turtle

Our turtles live amongst the Malawi Cichlids in Cichlid Lake. Since they inhabit warm tropical rivers, streams, lakes and lagoons with soft bottoms and slow currents, they are a good match for our colorful African fish. We have two pig-nosed turtles, Tedi and Pik, with Tedi the bigger of the two. In the Tok Pisin language, one of the three official languages of Papua New Guinea, Pik means “pig”. Tedi is named after the Ok Tedi mine in one of the upper catchments of the Fly River in Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, the pollution from the mine is contributing to a significant decline in many populations (including the turtles) as environmental authorities advocate for its closure. As of 2025, they are exhibited at only 36 American zoos, making them a rare sight.

 

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