| Phrynops hilarii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Pleurodira |
| Family: | Chelidae |
| Genus: | Phrynops |
| Species: | P. hilarii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Phrynops hilarii | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
|
List
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Phrynops hilarii, also commonly known as Hilaire’s side-necked turtle and Hilaire's toadhead turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to South America.
The specific name, hilarii, is in honor of French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire.[4]
P. hilarii is found in southern Brazil (Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul), southward and westward into Uruguay and Argentina, and possibly also in Paraguay and Bolivia.[5]
P. hilarii inhabits streams, lakes, and swamps with abundant aquatic vegetation and soft bottoms.[6]
P. hilarii has an oval, flattened carapace, with a maximum straight-line length of approximately 40 cm (16 in), weighing approximately 5 kg (11 lb). The carapace is usually dark brown, olive, or gray, with a yellow border. The head is large and flat, gray to olive above, with a pointed snout and two bicolored chin barbels. There is a black band on each side of the head, which comes out of the muzzle and passes over the eyes, going up to the neck. [7][6]
An omnivorous species, P. hilarii mainly feeds on arthropods, with a preference for copepods, ostracods, and hemipterans. [8] They feed also on fish, birds, reptiles, small mammals and dead animals. It is oviparous. [5] These turtles can live for up to 37 years. [9]
Females lay eggs twice a year, one clutch between February and May and the other between September and December. They lay from 9 to 14 eggs, with a maximum of 32 eggs and an incubation period of approximately 150 days.
