| Phrynops hilarii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| 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
| |
Phrynops hilarii, commonly known as Hilaire’s toadhead turtle or Hilaire’s side-necked 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]
These turtles inhabit streams, lakes and swamps with abundant aquatic vegetation and soft bottoms.[6]
Phrynops hilarii has an oval, flattened carapace, with a maximum length of approximately 40 cm, weighing approximately 5 kg. 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]
This omnivorous species mainly feed 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 twice a year, one 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.
