Pacific coast giant musk turtle
A species of Giant musk turtles, Also known as Giant musk turtle Scientific name : Staurotypus salvinii Genus : Giant musk turtles
Pacific coast giant musk turtle, A species of Giant musk turtles
Also known as:
Giant musk turtle
Scientific name: Staurotypus salvinii
Genus: Giant musk turtles
Content
Description General Info
Photo By villanuevagr , used under CC-BY-NC-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The giant musk turtle (Staurotypus salvinii ) is a species of kinosternid turtle, which is endemic to Central America.
General Info
Lifespan
15-20 years
Diet
Pacific coast giant musk turtle is a predominantly carnivorous species, feeding primarily on shelled mollusks. Its powerful jaws help it break open shells, and it occasionally supplements its diet with various arthropods and amphibians.
Appearance
Pacific coast giant musk turtle is a large aquatic turtle with a robust body shape. Its skin and upper shell, or carapace, is dark brown to black, while the plastron, or lower shell, is yellow to cream with black blotches. It has thick, strong legs adapted for digging and a large head with a broad, hooked beak. Male pacific coast giant musk turtle are larger than females and have significantly longer and thicker tails.
Behavior
Pacific coast giant musk turtle exhibits semi-aquatic habits, spending majority of its time in freshwater bodies, mainly for predation and thermoregulation. This species is largely solitary, showing territorial aggression, particularly males. Notably, their diet is highly specialized on the consumption of mollusks, employing unique crushing jaw mechanics for this purpose.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Reptiles Order
Testudines Family
Mud turtles Genus
Giant musk turtles Species
Pacific coast giant musk turtle 
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