Turtle species doomed to extinction after last female found dead

The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), the world’s largest freshwater turtle and one of the most endangered species on Earth, is now essentially doomed to extinction after the last known remaining female washed up dead in Vietnam

- HARRY BAKER

The female turtle, which was around 1.5 metres long and weighed 93 kilograms, was discovered dead on 21 April on the shores of Dong Mo Lake in Hanoi’s Son Tay district. The turtle likely died several days earlier, but the cause of death is still unknown.

This female Yangtze giant softshell turtle was discovered in October 2020. At the time, no other female Yangtze giant softshell turtles were known to exist; the last known female died after a failed attempt at artificial insemination at Suzhou Zoo, China in April 2019.