African Helmeted Turtle

The African helmeted turtle, Pelomedusa subrufa, is a small omnivorous side-necked turtle of the family Pelomedusidae, found across much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar and southern Yemen. It typically measures 15 to 21 centimeters in carapace length, with a black or brown shell, grayish-brown tail and feet, and a yellowish plastron, and unlike most other Pelomedusidae it lacks a hinged plastron, instead righting itself when flipped with a vigorous flick of its long muscular neck, an ability uncommon among turtles. It favors standing water such as swamps, pans, dams and lakes over flowing rivers, avoiding mountainous, forested and desert country.