Pig-nosed Turtle

The pig-nosed turtle is one of the most distinctive freshwater turtles in the world, instantly recognisable by its soft, leathery shell and snout-like nose that resembles a pig.

It lives in slow-moving freshwater rivers, streams, and lagoons in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Despite being a freshwater species, its flipper-like limbs, more similar to a sea turtle’s than any other freshwater turtle, allow it to swim with ease and agility in open water.

One of the most fascinating features of the pig-nosed turtle is its method of breathing. While it surfaces to breathe air, it can also absorb oxygen through the lining of its throat and cloaca, allowing it to stay submerged for extended periods, an essential adaptation for a largely aquatic lifestyle.

Female pig-nosed turtles lay their eggs in sandy banks during the dry season. These eggs have a unique adaptation in that they can delay hatching until the first rains of the wet season arrive, triggering the baby turtles to emerge when conditions are safest.

Fossil evidence shows that pig-nosed turtles belong to an ancient lineage, with little evolutionary change over millions of years. Yet today, they face growing threats from illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction, and altered river flow due to climate and development.

Although elusive and rarely seen, the pig-nosed turtle is an ecological specialist with a remarkable evolutionary story—one that researchers are still working to fully understand.

The pig-nosed turtle is the only freshwater turtle in the world with flippers instead of webbed feet, making it a powerful swimmer in rivers and lagoons!