How Big Can a Yellow-Headed Side-Necked Turtle Grow? A Detailed Look at Adult Size
The adult yellow-headed side-necked turtle can grow to more than 40 cm, with a maximum shell length of up to 68 cm; the female's carapace length can reach more than 25 inches (63.5 cm), while the male is only half the size of the female. When young, the yellow-headed side-necked turtle's shell is brown, and as it grows the carapace turns grayish-black; the plastron is grayish-yellow with a slight lead-gray tinge, and some individuals have black spots.
The yellow-headed side-necked turtle is also known as the yellow-spotted side-necked turtle and the yellow-striped side-necked turtle, and is distributed in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Brazil and Bolivia. It is a tropical turtle that fears the cold and cannot hibernate; at a water temperature of around 18°C its food intake decreases, and prolonged exposure to a low-temperature environment makes it prone to illness. It feeds mainly on plant matter, such as aquatic plants and fruits, and also eats some dead fish. It is a very docile aquatic turtle, and fighting and biting among them is rarely seen, but when startled it will thrust out its head to strike and resist.