06/01/2026
On the small island of Rote, Indonesia, lives one of the rarest freshwater turtles on Earth: Chelodina mccordi, McCord’s snake-necked turtle. A member of the Chelidae family, it carries a flattened brown shell, fully webbed feet, and a long side-folding neck that helps it breathe while staying hidden in shallow lakes, swamps, marshes, and rice paddies.
Mostly nocturnal, it hunts insects, tadpoles, small fish, worms, snails, and aquatic plants under the cover of night. During the dry season, it survives beneath rocks, boulders, and leaf litter. But illegal pet trade and wetland loss have pushed this island endemic to Critically Endangered status.
A tiny turtle. A giant warning for biodiversity.
— NATURÆ Animals