What's The Mata-Mata With You?

Deadly and cute

Looking at this animal is sure to arouse questions. It looks like something out of Jurassic Park, but this turtle is all too real. Living in a place like the Amazon, sharing rivers with Piranha and River Dolphins, you would have to have some fantastic mutation to survive. These turtles have earned many names due to their appearance including, but not limited to: Leafhead and Needlenose. It is no question how this turtle received its name. However, its strangest and most commonly known name is Mata-Mata (kill kill in spanish). To understand how this name came about, you have to get uncomfortably close.

If you look past the exterior, you may notice that the Mata Mata has a horribly bad bite to match the bark. This turtle has two sets of sharp, fused teeth. Not to mention their sharp claws, common to turtles. And that shell? Forget about it. They can even reach up to two feet in length. Regardless of these offensive features, the Mata Mata is a defensive player. Most days, it spends its days burrowed in river sediment. Its leaf-like head and coloring makes for good camouflage. Then it lies in wait, hoping for a fish to swim by before it sucks it up. Only a few times will it raise its snout to the surface and take in a breath of air. 

Scientific Name: C. Fimbiatus

Baby Mata Mata

Fun fact: Mata Matas are the only turtle belonging to this group

Links:http://mentalfloss.com/article/57564/9-facts-about-mata-mata-weirdest-turtle-ever