Chelydra acutirostris
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The South American snapping turtle (Chelydra acutirostris) is a species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. This species, which is endemic to Central and northwestern South America, was previously considered a subspecies of C. serpentina. Its restricted range in South America reflects its recent arrival there as part of the Great American Interchange.
Chelydra acutirostris is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. No subspecies of C. acutirostris are recognized. On July 9 2026, the South American snapping turtle was evaluated as Near Threatened and its populations are starting to be decreasing by the IUCN Red List. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Zoosafari Fasanolandia | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 3 | El Paso Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Tbilisi Zoo | 🇬🇪 Georgia | |
| 5 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Zoo. La Isla del Tapir | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Ecozoológico San Martín | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Zoo El Pantanal | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 9 | Farm in the City | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Arenal Eco Zoo | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
No species of the same family or order lives in Arenal Volcano National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a South American Snapping Turtle sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 64 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, July and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a South American Snapping Turtle in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, August–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most South American Snapping Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate South American Snapping Turtle sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South American Snapping Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
