Trionyx triunguis
Silhouette: Armin Reindl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The African softshell turtle, or Nile softshell turtle (Trionyx triunguis), is a large species of softshell turtle from freshwater and brackish-water habitats in Africa (larger parts of Eastern, Northeastern, Western and Middle Africa) and the Near East (Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey). It is the only extant species in the genus Trionyx; historically, despite other species having been formerly placed in this genus as well, they have all been reclassified to other genera.
Despite the common name of "African softshell turtle", Trionyx triunguis is not the sole species (or genus) of softshell turtle found in Africa—the genera Cyclanorbis and Cycloderma are African—nor is it solely found on that continent, alone.
T. triunguis is a very large species of softshell turtle, with sizes ranging from 85 to 94 cm, with a weight of 40 kg, and an unconfirmed max size of 120 cm. They are omnivorous in their diet, consuming not only small fish, frogs, tadpoles and crustaceans, but also floating palm seeds and fallen leaves, and some aquatic vegetation.
According to the IUCN, the species is vulnerable, and has experienced serious decline. The Mediterranean subpopulation... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | LUFASI Nature Park | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 4 | Riga Zoo | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 5 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Aquarium Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Aquarium River of Zaragoza | 🇪🇸 Spain |
No species of the same family or order lives in Murchison Falls National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Softshell Turtle sighting in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th 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.
March, September and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an African Softshell Turtle in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–May, August and October–November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Softshell 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.
Only Murchison Falls National Park, in our data
Murchison Falls National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate African Softshell Turtle sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Softshell Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Murchison Falls National Park (6 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.
