Asian giant softshell turtle

P. cantorii is not found in New Guinea, while the two other members of the genus Pelochelys, P. bibroni and P. signifera are both restricted to New Guinea. P. cantorii is relatively unstudied, and the current species may actually be composed of several taxa. One study from 1995{{cite journal|last=Webb|first=R.G.|author-link=Robert G. Webb |year=1995|title=Redescription and neotype designation of Pelochelys bibroni from southern New Guinea (Testudines: Trionychidae)|journal=Chelonian Conservation and Biology|volume=1|issue=4|pages=301–310}} showed that what was once thought to be P. cantorii in New Guinea was actually P. bibroni, and the earlier studies{{cite journal|last=Gray|first=J.E.|author-link=John Edward Gray|year=1864|title=Revision of the species of Trionychidae found in Asia and Africa, with the descriptions of some new species|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|volume=1864|pages=76–98}}{{cite journal|last=Boulenger|first=G.A.|author-link=George Albert Boulenger|year=1891|title=XXXI.—On the occurrence of Pelochelys in China|journal=Journal of Natural History|volume=7|issue=39|pages=283–284|doi=10.1080/00222939109460609|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1430293}} of P. cantorii only described populations farther to the west. The classification of P. cantorii is Family: Trionychidae, Order: Testudines. A genome study revealed that several genes related to tumor resistance, growth, and aging were more active in P. cantorii. The genes found were VWA5A, ABCG2, A2M, and IGSF1.They are related to tumor resistance, growth, and aging.

P. cantorii fits into turtle evolution because P. cantorii became separate from its closest turtle relatives about 59 million years ago. Turtles split from the common ancestor of birds and crocodiles around 256 million years ago.

The populations of Asian giant softshell turtles in the Philippines "may be distinct" based on genetic analysis, implying the possibility of unique genetic traits in this population. More research is needed to confirm if the critically-endangered Philippine population is a distinct species.https://iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_011_cantorii_v1_2008.pdf

The Asian giant softshell turtle has a broad head, and small eyes close to the tip of its snout. The carapace is smooth and olive-colored. Juveniles may have dark-spotted carapaces and heads, with yellow around the carapace.{{cite book|last1=Ernst|first1=C.H.|author1-link=species:Carl H. Ernst|last2=Altenburg|first2=R.G.M.|last3=Barbour|first3=R.W.|author3-link=species:Roger W, Barbour|year=1998|title=Turtles of the world [CD-ROM]}}

Despite reports that it can grow up to {{convert|1.8|m|ft}} in length and is the world's largest extant freshwater turtle, this maximum size and title is murky at best.{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517074755.htm|title=Rare Soft Shell Turtle, Nesting Ground Found in Cambodia|website=ScienceDaily|date=19 May 2007}}{{cite news|title=How to Survive in Cambodia: For a Turtle, Beneath Sand|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/18/world/asia/18turtles.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=18 May 2007|author=Mydans, Seth}} Apparently the largest specimen carapace length, {{convert|129|cm|in|abbr=on}}, known is considered suspect and the heaviest specimen known (weighing approximately {{convert|250|kg|lb|abbr=on}} was actually a misidentified Yangtze giant softshell turtle.{{cite book|last=De Rooij|first=N.|author-link=Nelly de Rooij|year=1915|title=The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago|publisher=A. Asher}}{{cite journal|last=Pritchard|first=P.C.|author-link=Peter Pritchard|year=2005|title=Survival status and prospects for Rafetus swinhoei (Chelonia: Trionychidae)|journal=2005 Turtle Survival Alliance Annual Conference Proceedings|pages=19–22}} A more realistic range of carapace length for this species is reportedly {{convert|70|to|100|cm|in|abbr=on}} and it is one of about a half-dozen giant softshell turtles from three genera that reach exceptionally large sizes, i.e. in excess of {{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in mass.{{cite book|last=Das|first=I.|year=2010|chapter=Pelochelys cantorii Gray 1864 – Asian Giant Softshell Turtle|editor=Iverson, J.B. |editor2=Mittermeier, R.A.|editor2-link=:Russell Mittermeier|title=Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group|series=Chelonian Research Monographs|volume=5}}

P. cantorii is an ambush predator and primarily carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, mollusks and fish (although some aquatic plants may also be eaten). The turtle spends 95% of its life buried and motionless, with only its eyes and mouth protruding from the sand. It surfaces only twice a day to take a breath, and lays 20–28 eggs sized around {{convert|3.0|to|3.6|cm|in}} in diameter in February or March on riverbanks.{{cite book|last=Das|first=I.|year=1985|title=Indian Turtles, a Field Guide|publisher=World Wildlife Fund--India (Eastern Region)|location=Calcutta}}

File:Asian Giant Softshell Turtle at Philippine National Museum.jpg]]

Morphological differences in neural bone count have been noted between specimens of P. cantori found in the Philippines and specimens found in mainland Asia.{{cite journal |pmc=3591760 |pmid=23653519 |doi=10.3897/zookeys.266.3982 |title=The amphibians and reptiles of Luzon Island, Philippines, VIII: the herpetofauna of Cagayan and Isabela Provinces, northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range |year=2013 |journal=ZooKeys |pages=1–120 |last1=Brown |first1=Rafe M. |author1-link=species:Rafe Marion Brown |last2=Siler |first2=Cameron D. |author2-link=species:Cameron D. Siler |last3=Oliveros |first3=Carl H. |author3-link=species:Carl H. Oliveros |last4=Welton |first4=Luke J. |author4-link=species:Luke J. Welton |last5=Rock |first5=Ashley |author5-link=species:Ashley Rock |last6=Swab |first6=John |author6-link=species:John Swab |last7=Van Weerd |first7=Merlijn |author7-link=species:Merlijn Van Weerd |last8=van Beijnen |first8=Jonah |author8-link=species:Jonah van Beijnen |last9=Jose |first9=Edgar |last10=Rodriguez |first10=Dominic |author10-link=species:Dominic Rodriguez |last11=Jose |first11=Edmund |last12=Diesmos |first12=Arvin C. |author12-link=species:Arvin Cantor Diesmos |issue=266 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2013ZooK..266....1B}}

The specific name, cantorii, is in honor of Danish zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor.{{cite book|last1=Beolens|first1=Bo|author1-link=species:Bo Beolens|last2=Watkins|first2=Michael|author2-link=species:Michael Watkins|last3=Grayson|first3=Michael|author3-link=species:Michael Grayson|year=2011|title=The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles|location=Baltimore|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-1-4214-0135-5|page=47}} Additionally, they are named for their softshells because they have soft, leathery shells that are completely devoid of scales.

The species P. cantorii is primarily found in inland, slow-moving, freshwater rivers and streams. Some evidence indicates that its range extends to coastal areas, as well. It occurs in eastern and southern India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, eastern and southern China, the Philippines (Luzon and Mindanao), and Indonesia (Kalimantan, Java, and Sumatra).

The Asian giant softshell turtle is classified as a Critically Endangered by the IUCN and has been forced out through habitat destruction, disappearing from much of its range.{{Cite web|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/16502/97400946|title = IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Pelochelys cantorii|date = 30 June 2000}} Prior to 2007, it was last seen in Cambodia in 2003. A 2007 survey of one area of the Mekong River in Cambodia found the turtle in abundance along a {{convert|48|km|mi}} stretch of the river.{{cite news|last1=Munthit|first1=K.|title=Rare Turtle's New Chance|newspaper=Associated Press|date=16 May 2007}}

In the Philippines, a juvenile Cantor's turtle known as "cagot" appeared and was captured by a fisherman along the Addalam River, Cabarroguis, Quirino, Isabela. In 2001, this turtle was sent to Chicago and its identity confirmed.{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/105818/After-seven-years-rare-soft-shelled-turtle-resurfaces-in-Quirino-Province|title=After seven years, rare soft-shelled turtle resurfaces in Quirino Province|author=Taguinod, Floro C.|website=GMA News Online|date=8 July 2008 }} The geographic range of the turtle was initially murky in the Philippines, but recent studies have confirmed their range in at least two islands, Luzon and Mindanao. Unfortunately, the invasive Chinese softshell turtle has become present in these two islands due to illegal introductions from mainland China. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources lists the Asian giant softshell turtle as a protected species and its trade is illegal under Philippine law, while it allows, through specific legal processes, the culling and catching of the invasive Chinese softshell turtle for import purposes, as to reduce the number of the invasive species, especially in areas where the indigenous Asian giant softshell turtle is present. Unfortunately, not all locals are aware of the difference between the two species which look similar, and this has led to the illegal catching of Asian giant softshell turtles in some instances. The department has yet to resolve this key issue in the conservation of Asian giant softshell turtles in the Philippines, where genetic studies have confirmed that the Philippine populations have distinct features from other populations in Asia.https://www.livescience.com/animals/turtles/cantors-giant-softshell-turtle-the-frog-faced-predator-that-spends-95-percent-of-its-time-completely-motionlesshttps://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/building-community-networks-to-save-a-rare-turtle-from-extinction/https://asianews.network/another-invasive-chinese-softshell-turtle-found-in-philippines/https://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/04/01/925401/only-chinese-softshell-turtles-can-be-collected-wildhttps://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1223988

The reptile has been evaluated as an EDGE species by the Zoological Society of London.{{Cite web|url=http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/cantors-giant-softshell/|title=Cantor's Giant Softshell}}

{{Reflist}}

• Das, Indraneil (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. {{ISBN|0-88359-056-5}}. (Pelochelys cantorii, p. 139).
• {{cite journal|last1=Das|first1=Indraneil|last2=Lakim|first2=Maklarin|author2-link=species:Maklarin Lakim |title=On the Distribution of Pelochelys cantorii on Borneo|journal=Chelonian Conservation and Biology|date=December 2006|volume=5|issue=2|pages=323–325|doi=10.2744/1071-8443(2006)5[323:OTDOPC]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=85822468 |url=http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/27006/1/297-%20Das%20%26%20Lakim%20%28Pelochelys%29.pdf}}
• {{cite journal |last1=McCord |first1=William P. |author1-link=species:William P. McCord |last2=Joseph-Ouni |first2=Mehdi |author2-link=species:Mehdi Joseph-Ouni |year=2003 |title=Flapshell and Giant Asian Softshell Turtles |journal=Reptilia |volume=26 |pages=59–64}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Webb |first1=Robert G |author-link=Robert G. Webb |year=2002 |title=Observations on the Giant Softshell Turtle, Pelochelys cantorii, with description of a new species |journal=Hamadryad |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=99–107}}

{{Wikispecies|Pelochelys cantorii}}

{{Commons category-inline|Pelochelys cantorii|Pelochelys cantorii}}

• [http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?genus=Pelochelys&species=cantorii "Pelochelys cantorii ". The Reptile Database. No date.] Accessed May 18, 2007.
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030228030538/http://www.chelonia.org/pelochelys_gallery.htm "Pelochelys Gallery". Turtle and Tortoise Information. World Chelonian Trust. No date.]}} Accessed May 18, 2007.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120418062039/http://www.rubiahdivers.com/soft_shell_turtle_founded.html Soft Shell turtle discovered in Sabang Pulau Weh Sumatra Indonesia].

{{Trionychidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2006609}}

Category:Pelochelys

Category:Reptiles of China

Category:Reptiles of India

Category:Reptiles of Myanmar

Category:Reptiles of Vietnam

Category:Reptiles of Cambodia

Category:Reptiles of Laos

Category:Reptiles of Thailand

Category:Reptiles of Brunei

Category:Reptiles of Indonesia

Category:Reptiles of Malaysia

Category:Reptiles of the Philippines

Category:Reptiles of Papua New Guinea

Category:Reptiles described in 1864

Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray

Category:Turtles of New Guinea

Category:Reptiles of Borneo

Category:Critically endangered fauna of China