Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle

Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle

Phrynops geoffroanus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Brasilia

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

15 Verified sightings at Brasilia
91 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle

Phrynops geoffroanus, also commonly known as Geoffroy's side-necked turtle and Geoffroy's toadhead turtle, is a species of large side-necked turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to South America. The specific name, geoffroanus, is in honor of French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire.

P. geoffroanus is found in southwestern Venezuela, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru, southward and eastward through southwestern Brazil and northern Bolivia to Paraguay and northeastern Argentina, then northward through eastern Brazil. It also occurs in eastern Venezuela, and in adjacent Guyana.

The preferred natural habitat of P. geoffroanus is freshwater rivers. Phrynops geoffroanus. The Reptile Database. Boulenger GA (1899). Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). New Edition. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). x + 311 pp. + Plates I-III. (Hydraspis geoffroyana, pp. 223–224). Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
2 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
4 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
5 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
2 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
3 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
4 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
7 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
9 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 Campinas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Paris Zoological Park 🇫🇷 France In captivity
2 Zoological Garden of Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
3 Curitiba Zoo 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
4 São Paulo Zoo 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
5 Saint Louis Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
7 Biocentro Güembé 🇧🇴 Bolivia In captivity
8 Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos 🇧🇴 Bolivia In captivity
9 Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
10 Zoo Americana / Parque Ecológico Municipal 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
11 Como Park Zoo and Conservatory 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Como Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
13 El Nispero Zoo 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
14 Zoológico de Canindé 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
15 Blue Planet Aquarium 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
16 Aquarium Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
17 Aquarium River of Zaragoza 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
18 National Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
19 The Living Rainforest 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
20 Belo Horizonte Aquarium 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle in Brasilia?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle sighting in Brasilia on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle in Brasilia?

February and April

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle in Brasilia on a given day, against under 5% in January, July and October–November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Brasilia the best place to see a Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle?

7th of 12

Of the 12 cities where we can rate Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle sightings, Brasilia ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Recife (Brazil, about 40%), Goiânia (Brazil, about 30%) and João Pessoa (Brazil, about 20%).

Where does the Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Brasilia (15 verified sightings), 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.

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