The African or Nile soft-shelled turtle, Trionyx triunguis, is a large, but little known species. It has a flat, leathery carapace a long and mobile neck and a tubular and elongated snout, adapted to reach the water surface for breathing while the body remains submerged. Its ability to tolerate salt water enabled the initially African species to colonise the southeastern Mediterranean. The T. triunguis dwells mostly in the lower course of rivers, ponds and brackish wetlands, but there are also many records of the species in the open sea, and in some locations, such as in Turkey, it shares habitats with nesting sea turtles.
In 2002, in the lower Nile river area, our representative in Egypt, Dr. Mohamed Nada, conducted a survey interviewing fishermen about observations of the Nile soft-shelled turtle (Trionyx triunguis). The study suggested the species had not been seen in the area for over 20 years.
