Wildlifeof India
Asian Giant Softshell Turtle
Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles
Photo: Ong Jyh Seng (iNaturalist) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Pelochelys cantorii
Basic stats
Diet
Crustaceans, molluscs and fish; some aquatic plants
Range
Eastern and southern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China, the Philippines and Indonesia
Size
Carapace 70–100cm realistically
The Asian giant softshell turtle, also called Cantor's giant softshell or the frog-faced softshell, is a freshwater turtle of the family Trionychidae. It has a broad head with small eyes close to the tip of the snout, and the carapace is smooth and olive-coloured. Juveniles may have dark-spotted carapaces and heads, with yellow around the carapace. A realistic carapace length is reportedly 70 to 100 cm, and it is one of about half a dozen giant softshell turtles that exceed 100 kg (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is an ambush predator, primarily carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, molluscs and fish, although some aquatic plants may also be eaten. In India the Reptile Database gives coastal drainages of peninsular India, mainly Kerala but also Tamil Nadu.
Quick answers
- What does the Asian Giant Softshell Turtle eat?
- Crustaceans, molluscs and fish; some aquatic plants
- Where is the Asian Giant Softshell Turtle found?
- Eastern and southern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China, the Philippines and Indonesia
- How big is the Asian Giant Softshell Turtle?
- Carapace 70–100cm realistically