Pelomedusidae

Pelomedusidae, known as the African side-necked turtles, is a family of freshwater turtles endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar, Sao Tome and the Seychelles. The family contains two living genera, Pelomedusa and Pelusios, comprising 27 species with carapace lengths ranging from about 12 to 45 centimeters. Unlike turtles that fully retract their heads, pelomedusids draw the head to the side and fold it beneath the front edge of the shell, a trait distinguished further by a hinge in the front section of the plastron. They spend much of their time in mud at the bottom of rivers and lakes, feed on invertebrates, and many species survive dry seasons by burying themselves in mud.