20 More Weird Animals You Probably Didn't Know Exist

The Mata Mata Turtle (Chelus fimbriata) is a freshwater turtle species found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. It is one of two extant species in the genus Chelus, the other being Chelus orinocensis. It is described for the first time by French naturalist Pierre Barrère in 1741 as a large land turtle with spiky and ridged scales (translation). Mata mata found distinctive differences in the populations of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.