The world’s largest freshwater turtle and one of the world’s most endangered species, the Yangtze giant tortoise (Rafetus swinhoei) is doomed to near extinction after its last known female washed ashore in Vietnam.

doomed to extinction

The deceased animal was about 1.5 meters long and weighed 93 kilograms. He was found on April 21 on the shore of Dong Mo Lake in Hanoi’s Son Tai district. The turtle probably died a few days ago, but the cause of death is still unknown.

This person was discovered in October 2020. No other female Yangtze giant softshell turtles were known to exist at the time. The last known female of the species at that time died in April 2019 at the Suzhou Zoo in China after a failed attempt at artificial insemination.

Experts confirmed that the dead animal was the same as the one discovered three years ago.

This is the same person we’ve been tracking for the past few years. This is a real blow
– Tim McCormack, director of the Asian Turtle Conservation Program in Indo-Myanmar, said in an interview with TIME magazine.

A female Rafetus swinhoei turtle swims in Dong Mo Lake in 2020 / Photo: WCS Vietnam

Currently, only two male Rafetus swinhoei are known: one at the Suzhou Zoo and the other still living in Dongmo Lake. The researchers hoped that the male and female in Dong Mo Lake would eventually mate and hatch. Judging by its size, the animal was probably several decades old, meaning it was sexually mature. Scientists say it could potentially lay a hundred or more eggs a year. However, the pair never mated, although the researchers built an artificial nesting beach in the lake so that the turtle could lay its eggs if needed.

Yangtze giant softshell turtles, also known as Hoan Kiem turtles and Swinow softshell turtles, were once common along the Yangtze River in China and in surrounding freshwater ecosystems such as Dong Mo Lake. However, historically, people have hunted turtles for their meat. They also lost most of their natural habitat.

There is a small chance that other females will be found in the future. After all, this too was hidden from detection for years. But if no other individuals are found in the wild, Rafetus swinhoei will become another species on the growing human extinction list.