Pig-nosed turtle
Carettochelys insculpta Ramsay, 1886
ENEndangeredturtles and tortoises
The pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises group, belonging to the family Carettochelyidae in the order Testudines. It is a medium-sized turtle with an adult body mass of 13.16 kg, with reported values from 10.05 to 16.28 kg, and it lives in riverine habitat.
Quick facts about the pig-nosed turtle
The IUCN Red List classifies the pig-nosed turtle as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, an IUCN threatened category. Its clutch size is 22.5, with 0.75 clutches per year, an egg incubation period of 69 days and a lifespan of 38.4 years.
- Weight
- 10.1 kg – 16.3 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 75 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 38.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 69 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 22.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 0.75src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the pig-nosed turtle
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the pig-nosed turtle live?
Not recorded
What is the pig-nosed turtle?
The pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), also known as the Fly River turtle, pitted-shelled turtle, and the Warrajan, is a species of turtle which is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the only living member of the genus Carettochelys and family Carettochelyidae, a family which also contains many fossil species with their closest relatives being the softshell turtles (family Trionychidae).
From the Wikipedia article “Pig-nosed turtle” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pig-nosed_turtle&oldid=1371417308), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the pig-nosed turtle endangered?
The pig-nosed turtle is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the pig-nosed turtle classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderTestudines
- familyCarettochelyidae
- genusCarettochelys
- SpeciesCarettochelys insculpta Ramsay, 1886
Synonyms Carettochelys insculpta canni
Other names and names in other languages (31)
- Fly river turtleEnglish
- Fly river turtleEnglish
- New Guinea Plateless turtleEnglish
- New Guinea Plateless turtleEnglish
- Pig-nose turtleEnglish
- Pig-nose turtleEnglish
- Pitted-shell turtleEnglish
- Pitted-shell turtleEnglish
- Pitted-shelled turtleEnglish
- WarrajanEnglish
- سلحفاة النهر الطائرةArabic
- سلحفاة ذات أنف الخنزيرArabic
- سلحفاة ذات الدرقة المثقبةArabic
- karetka novoguinejskáCzech
- Papua-WeichschildkröteGerman
- Neuguinea-WeichschildkröteGerman
- Tortuga nariz de cerdoSpanish
- Tortue à nez de cochonFrench
- צב אף החזירHebrew
- kétkarmú teknősHungarian
- Kura-kura Moncong BabiIndonesian
- Labi-labi Moncong BabiIndonesian
- スッポンモドキJapanese
- TryneskilpaddeNorwegian Bokmål
- Nyguinea-bløtskilpaddeNorwegian Bokmål
- miękkoskórek dwupazurzastyPolish
- Двухкоготная черепахаRussian
- PikuTok Pisin
- Domuz Burunlu KaplumbağaTurkish
- Черепаха двокігтеваUkrainian
- 豬鼻龜Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the pig-nosed turtle
Other species in the same genus Carettochelys.
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
Is the pig-nosed turtle endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, which is an IUCN threatened category.
How heavy is the pig-nosed turtle?
An adult Pig-nosed turtle weighs 13.16 kg, with reported values from 10.05 to 16.28 kg.
What kind of animal is the pig-nosed turtle?
It is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises group, classified in the family Carettochelyidae, suborder Cryptodira and order Testudines.
What habitat does the pig-nosed turtle live in?
The pig-nosed turtle lives in riverine habitat.
How long does the pig-nosed turtle live?
The pig-nosed turtle has a lifespan of 38.4 years.
How long do Pig-nosed turtle eggs take to hatch?
The egg incubation period is 69 days. Its clutch size is 22.5, with 0.75 clutches per year.
Who named the pig-nosed turtle?
The scientific name Carettochelys insculpta is attributed to Ramsay, 1886.
What are other names for the pig-nosed turtle?
Other English names are Warrajan, Pig-nose turtle, Fly river turtle, Pitted-shell turtle and Pitted-shelled turtle.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles · CC BY 4.0 · v1-2
Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pig-nosed-turtle
“Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pig-nosed-turtle.
@misc{pig_nosed_turtle_2026,
title = {Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pig-nosed-turtle},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}