Chaco side-necked turtle

Chaco side-necked turtle
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Acanthochelys
Species:
A. pallidipectoris
Binomial name
Acanthochelys pallidipectoris
(Freiberg, 1945)
Synonyms
  • Platemys pallidipectoris Freiberg, 1945:15
  • Acanthochelys pallidipectoris Iverson, 1986

The Chaco side-necked turtle (Acanthochelys pallidipectoris) is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is found in Argentina, Paraguay, and possibly Bolivia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The turtle possesses long horny spurs on its upper thighs. It is 18 cm in shell length. Like other members of its genus, the turtle buries itself in the mud when the streams run dry, a behaviour possibly parallel to the winter hibernating behaviours of turtles further north.