Carettochelys insculpta Ramsay, 1886

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 244-245

Carettochelys insculpta Ramsay, 1886 — Non-native; Introduced.

Pig-nosed Turtle

Singapore records.

Carettochelys insculpta —Goh & O-Riordan, 2007: 99.—Ramsay et al., 2007: 165.—P.K.A. Ng, 2009: 53, 64, 143, 160, 203.—T.H. Ng & K.K.P. Lim, 2010: 121 (MacRitchie Reservoir).—D.C.J. Yeo & C.S.W. Chia, 2010: 35.—Kwan, 2015: 95 (Botanic Gardens; Tampines Quarry).—Muhammad Assiddiq, 2015: 162 (Botanic Gardens).—H.H. Tan, 2015: 99.—N. Baker, 2017: 28 (MacRitchie Reservoir).—V. Foo, 2020: 219 ( Marina Barrage ).

“pig-nosed turtle”— How, 2018 (Bishan Park).—Kow, 2021 ( Singapore Botanic Gardens).

Remarks. Several records exist of C. insculpta in Singapore, including skeletal remains found on the shore of MR (Ng & Lim 2010) and TQ (Kwan 2015), and from live individuals observed at Eco-Lake at SBG (Kwan 2015; Muhammad Assiddiq 2015) and MR ( Baker 2017). A live individual was seen being attacked by otters at Bishan Park on 27 February 2018, and a dead individual was photographed being eaten by a V. salvator at SBG on 12 September 2021 (Kow 2021). A dead, bloated specimen found at Marina Barrage on 13 November 2020 indicates that several individuals kept as pets in Singapore have been abandoned by their owners ( Foo 2020). Since this individual was large (ca. 1.2 m), it is not known if the individual was released at its large size or attained that size in the wild after being released. Carettochelys insculpta is native to Papua Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia (TTWG 2021). In the 1990s, hatchlings were heavily imported for the pet trade ( Goh & O’Riordan 2007; Ng & Lim 2010).

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.2.6868 (03-Mar-2010) ; Pandan Reservoir: ZRC.2.6857 (10-Nov-2009) ; Tampines Quarry Lake : ZRC.2.7306 (20-Jul-2014) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Family Chelidae Gray, 1825 (1 species)

Genus Chelus Duméril 1805 (1 species)