Mata Mata Matter Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chelus fimbriata

It was named this in 1992 after undergoing a lot of changes. It was once called Testudo fimbriata. It belongs to the family Chelidae of the order Testudines. It is classified under the genus Chelus and is the only extant species in it. Nicknames given to the mata mata are needle nose and leafhead. Interesting, right?

It is one of the large freshwater turtles.

Answer: False

The mata mata is a freshwater turtle. It is found in South America, mostly in the Amazon river basin and along its tributaries. It is also found in the Orinoco river basin. It is often found in blackwater streams and marshes, laying low and occasionally putting its snout above the water level to breathe.

The turtle can be found in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia among other South American countries.

Answer: Triangular

It has a flat head. The head has many protrusions and flaps. There is a horn like appendage on its snout. It has a number of barbels on its head, three on the chin and four on the upper jaw.

A fully grown mata mata can weigh up to 15 kilograms.

Answer: Shell

Carapace is the shell of the turtle and what we would call the belly is called the plastron.

The mata mata has a large carapace which can be either black or brown. This greatly enhances the ability of the turtle to camouflage with its surroundings by looking like bark. The rest of the turtle's body tends to be grey. Mata matas have a long neck which have a few skin flaps on them. They have webbed claws.

They say you can tell if the mata mata is from the Amazon or the Orinoco from the shape of their shells. Amazon locals have rectangular shaped shells while those from the Orinoco have more oval shaped ones.

Sometimes, algae grows on the shells of these turtles.

Answer: Suction feeding

The mata mata does not move much. So it lies in wait for its prey to come to it. It then opens its large mouth and sucks in the prey by creating a low pressure vacuum. The mata mata then expels the water from its mouth. It proceeds to swallow the prey whole rather than chew.

They feed on fish and other small sea creatures making them strictly carnivorous.

Answer: Once

The mata matas usually breed from around October to December. They have special mating rituals in which the male pushes his head outward and opens and closes his mouth to attract the female. Sometimes they even move the skin flaps on their heads to gain attention. The female comes out to land only to lay eggs. She lays around 12-25 spherical eggs.

Answer: True

Yes, some people even keep mata matas as pets! They do not occupy much space but keeping their tanks clean is a must. They do not move much at all and may stay in the same place for hours together. They are said to be quite expensive but their visual appeal is very high. Warm, acidic water is said to be ideal alongside a high tannin content. Goldfishes, guppies and earthworms are said to be ideal for their feeding.

Handling of mata matas when used as pets must be at a minimum.

Answer: Vision

They have very bad eyesight. Their eyes have a layer called tapetum lucidum which is seen in a lot of nocturnal animals. They have an advanced tympanum on either side of their head which greatly enhances their auditory senses. Their skin flaps and barbels increase their tactile senses and can detect slightest motions.

Answer: Sexual dimorphism

The difference can usually only be seen after the turtles have reached maturity. The plastrons of the males are concave and long while those of the females are flat and short. The males have thicker tails than the females. The positioning of the anal openings of males and females are different in mata mata turtles.

Answer: They bend their neck sideways below the shell's margins

The turtles belonging to the Chelidae family are often called side necked turtles because of the way they bend their necks and withdraw their heads to spaces below the margins of the shells. Cryptodires which includes most other turtles and tortoises fold their neck and withdraw their heads directly to their shells.

Mata matas have really long necks which are longer than their vertebra, so not only will their heads and necks not fit into the shell, they aren't built in a way to withdraw their heads into the shell with ease.