About Chelydra rossignonii (Bocourt, 1868)
Chelydra rossignonii has a large head, long tail, and pointed snout. Its coarse carapace has three distinct, easily visible ridges, and comes in a range of colors including brown to olive, or olive to black. Algae sometimes grows on the turtle's shell, helping it camouflage. Its small plastron can range from cream to yellow, or tan to gray. Adult individuals have entirely gray or black skin, while juveniles have white speckles on their skin. The skin around the turtle's neck is covered in long tubercles. Chelydra rossignonii is distributed across Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Its natural habitats are slow-moving freshwater rivers, swamps, tributaries, and wetlands. It favors murky water with abundant vegetation, and avoids open water. This species is oviparous, solitary, and nocturnal. It is thought to be mostly aquatic, and rarely moves onto land or basks in open spaces.
