CreatureData

Cape terrapin

Pelomedusa galeata (Schoepff, 1792)

Status not recordedturtles and tortoises

The cape terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata) is a species in the family Pelomedusidae, order Testudines.

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Quick facts about the cape terrapin

Weight
Not recorded
Length
up to 32.5 cm
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Reproduction
Eggs
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cape terrapin live?

Not recorded

Is the cape terrapin endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the cape terrapin classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderTestudines
  5. familyPelomedusidae
  6. genusPelomedusa
  7. SpeciesPelomedusa galeata (Schoepff, 1792)

Synonyms Pelomedusa galeata devilliersi, Pelomedusa galeata orangensis, Pelomedusa nigra, Pentonyx capensis, Testudo galeata, Testudo scabra

Other names and names in other languages (9)
  • Cape helmeted terrapinEnglish
  • Cape marsh terrapinEnglish
  • South African helmeted terrapinEnglish
  • South African helmeted turtleEnglish
  • Kaapse HelmwaterskilpadAfrikaans
  • Sydafrikansk HjelmskildpaddeDanish
  • Schwarze Starrbrust-PelomedusenschildkröteGerman
  • Tartaruga elmetto del CapoItalian
  • Kaapse MoeraswaterskilpadAfrikaans

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the cape terrapin

Other species in the same genus Pelomedusa.

CompareCape terrapin vs Marsh terrapinCape terrapin vs Arabian helmeted turtleCape terrapin vs Eritrean helmeted turtleCape terrapin vs Tanzanian marsh terrapin

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

What kind of animal is the cape terrapin?

The cape terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata) belongs to the family Pelomedusidae in the order Testudines.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-terrapin

MLA

“Cape terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-terrapin.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_terrapin_2026,
  title = {Cape terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-terrapin},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}