Aquarium Mata Mata Turtle
They are a fascinating species with a characterful look.
Aquarium mata mata turtle. Mata mata turtles are flat freshwater turtles. Their rough oblong carapace top part of the shell is dark brown to mahogany and the plastron bottom part of the shell is yellow and brown colored. Be prepared to fiddle around with things like heat moisture and light exposure until you hit the right combination of elements.
Mata mata turtles will need a wet humid aquarium that mimics their native swamps and rainforests. The mata mata is a large sedentary turtle whose shell resembles a piece of bark and whose head looks like fallen leaves allowing it to blend into surrounding vegetation in water environments to. Their names are usually spelled as mata mata matamata mata mata or mata mata.
Visit kidzone zone c to meet the quirky mata mata turtle a freshwater species found in south america primarily in the amazon and orinoco basins. Small to medium specimens 6 10 can be kept successfully in a 40 to 60 gallon aquarium. What other names does the mata mata turtle have.
They prefer shallow waters where they can breathe by extending their long necks and tubed noses to the surface. The water s ph should be low 5 0 to 5 5 and the addition of tannins from peat leaves and sphagnum moss in the water adds to the development of a perfect matamata enclosure. In this video my buddy paul and i pick up a exotic mata mata turtle and make a enclosure for him.
On the carapace there are rows of conical scutes. They are an aquatic species favouring slower moving water sources such as streams swamps or marshes. The mata mata turtle chelus fumbriatus appears occasionally in the pet trade the mata mata is a sedentary aquatic species that has a remarkable appearance.
They are only freshwater species. Three barbels occur on the chin and four additional filamentous barbels at the upper jaw which is neither hooked nor notched. The mata mata s brown or black oblong carapace can measure up to 45 cm 18 in at.