Matamata

The matamata, Chelus fimbriata, is a large, sedentary freshwater turtle of the Amazon basin and eastern Guiana river systems, belonging to the family Chelidae within Pleurodira, the side-necked turtles, a group that bends its neck sideways into its shell rather than pulling it straight back. It is instantly recognizable by its large, flattened, triangular head covered in tubercles and skin flaps, a long tubular snout, and a brown or black knobbly oblong shell that can reach about 45 centimeters. An ambush predator, it lies motionless in slow-moving streams, stagnant pools and swamps and captures fish and aquatic invertebrates with a rapid suction-feeding strike.