African Side-Necked Turtles: Pelomedusidae

African side-necked turtles are mainly meat eaters, although a few will eat plants. The main items in their diet are worms; clams and other mollusks, or soft-bodied animals covered by shells; shrimp and other crustaceans (krus-TAY-shuns), or animals with a soft, segmented body covered by shells; insects; fish; frogs and other amphibians (am-FIB-ee-uns), or animals that spend part of their lives in water and part on land. These turtles also eat whatever dead animal matter they can find. Those that eat plants prefer water lettuce and grasses that grow in lakes, ponds, and streams and various fruits that drop into the water from overhanging trees.