Chinese Big-headed Turtle

Despite their appearance, these turtles are not related to snapping turtles. They use their hooked beak and long tail to navigate the streams in which they live. Big-headed turtles cannot pull their head entirely into their shell. As a result, the tops of their head are heavily armored. This species is part of the Tennessee Aquarium’s Asian Turtle Breeding Program. The Chinese big-headed turtle is endangered. Turtles and tortoises across Southeast Asia have undergone massive declines in recent years due to overexploitation for the Southern Asian, particularly Chinese, food markets.