Critically endangered big-headed turtle found in central Vietnam
A big-headed turtle, a rare and endangered species that is strictly protected under both Vietnamese and international law, has been discovered in the former Quảng Nam province in central Vietnam (now part of Đà Nẵng city).
On the morning of April 10, while on a forest patrol, members of Forest Protection and Fire Prevention Station No. 4 (based in the former Bắc Trà My district) found a turtle tangled in forest vines in a stream in the former Trà Giang commune of the same district.
The rangers freed the turtle, checked its health and released it back into its natural habitat.
The rare big-headed turtle was "rescued" by forest rangers.
According to their observations, the turtle weighed nearly 1kg and measured about 20 cm long. It had a tail almost as long as its body, a head covered in very hard horny scutes that cannot be retracted into the shell, and an upper jaw that forms a hook like a parrot's beak. These are the hallmark features of the big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum).
The species lives in forest streams with clear, slow-flowing water at elevations above 600m above sea level, in natural forests stretching from northern Vietnam through the central region and the Central Highlands.
By day, the turtles usually hide under rocks or bask on stream banks; at night they come out to forage for invertebrates, mollusks and small crustaceans. Adult big-headed turtles can reach a shell length of a little over 20cm.
The species is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to overexploitation and trade, and unless this is stopped it could disappear in the near future. In Vietnam, the big-headed turtle is in Group IB of the strictly protected species list, and violations involving it carry very heavy penalties. Hunting, trading or consuming this species is illegal and can lead to criminal prosecution.
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