East African Mud Turtles
You’ll have to have keen eyes to spot this zoo resident. We are home to a female named ‘Mbili’.
At home in the mud
With a brown carapace, East African mud turtles can be tricky to spot, especially as they swim through their watery homes. Their shells are round and smooth, and their skin can be yellow, brown, or gray in colour. Mud turtle species lack the ability to pull their heads straight back into their shells – instead, they pull their heads inwards to the side so that the shell can give them some cover.
- IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (at relatively low risk of extinction)
- Type: Reptile
- Habitat: Freshwater systems in southeastern Africa and Madagascar
- Diet: Omnivore – grasses, fish, and invertebrates
- Size: 20 centimetres long
- Weight: 1.3 to 1.8 kilograms
facts about our animals
Fun Facts about East African Mud Turtles
Males have longer, thicker tails.
They have webbed feet to help them move through the water.
Their nostrils are at the top of their snouts so they can still breathe while mostly submerged.
Breeding season peaks during heavy rainfalls.
East African mud turtles are independent as soon as they hatch.
They may rest on floating bits of debris.
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