Big-Headed Turtle: Platysternidae

Because the big-headed turtle is so rare, scientists have been able to learn about its diet only by observing captive, rather than wild, turtles. In captivity, the turtles eat meat, fish, and insects. The big-headed turtle is probably a meat-eater in the wild and may eat no plants at all. The turtle most likely gets most of its meals by gathering insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and other small invertebrates from the stream bottom, but it also may crawl out of the water onto shore and search for food on land. Invertebrates (in-VER-tehbrehts) are animals without backbones. Both mollusks (MAH-lusks) and crustaceans (krus-TAY-shuns) are invertebrates with shells. Mollusks, such as snails and clams, have an unsegmented body, and crustaceans, such as crayfish and shrimp, have a segmented body.