#softshell turtle

African Softshell Turtle (Trionyx triunguis), family Trionychidae, Burkina Faso

Vulnerable.

This turtle was tagged as part of a study, and then released.

The first fossils of Therizinosaurus to be found were the fragmentary remains of three massive claws. Uncertain of what kind of creature they belonged to, they were tentatively hypothesized to be from a large turtle-like reptile. Many further excavations revealed the therizinosaurs and segnosaurs to be the same animals, and that they were very odd theropod dinosaurs. However, a continent away and across the Tethys there would yet be a giant scythe-clawed turtle. Austrochitra maleevii is the largest member of the trionychidae family and one of the largest turtles, matching Archelon in dimensions but falling short in mass. Like the other giant turtles it is marine in habit, natively found within the shallow Eromanga Sea which covers much of Australia in the mid-Cretaceous. They are carnivorous and will attempt to eat just about anything they can catch. Much like their relatives they often wait buried in the seabed for prey to come close. also like their relatives they are capable of gas exchange via the vascularized oral tissue. They are rather swift swimmers if the need arises, occasionally pursuing prey for short bursts if their initial ambush misses. The large claws aid them in digging and tossing sand and mud over themselves when they hide, and in fending off potential predators or rivals. Their range is quite limited as their hunting method requires a loose sediment floor and comparatively shallow water depth. Occasional vagrants can be found out around the coasts of greater Australia, but no permanent populations have been able to establish themselves outside the Eromanga Sea.

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