Yellow-headed Sideneck
Podocnemis unifilis
- Class
- Reptile
- Rarity
- Rare
- Observations
- 1,138
- Most observed in
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Conservation
- Vulnerable
Description
The yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), also known commonly as the yellow-headed sideneck turtle and the yellow-spotted river turtle, and locally as the taricaya, is one of the largest South American river turtles. Podocnemis unifilis is a type of side-necked turtles, so called because they do not pull their heads directly into their shells, but rather bend their necks sideways to tuck their heads under the rim of their shells. Side-neck turtles are classified as members of the suborder Pleurodira.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Yellow-spotted river turtle”.