Southern New Guinea Giant Softshell Turtle

Pelochelys bibroni is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world, with a broad, pancake-flat carapace covered in soft, leathery skin rather than hard scutes. Its elongated, tubular snout allows it to breathe while remaining almost fully buried in sand or mud, an ambush strategy it uses to prey on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic animals. As a large predator and scavenger, it plays a role in regulating prey populations and cycling nutrients within river and estuarine systems.

The species inhabits large rivers, permanent streams, and adjacent wetlands, as well as coastal and nearshore marine waters, moving between freshwater and brackish or marine environments. Its known range spans southern New Guinea, particularly Papua New Guinea, with records also from northern Australia.

Population trends are not well documented, but the species faces sustained pressure from human activity. Eggs are harvested from nesting beaches for local consumption, and adults are hunted for meat and traditional medicine. Coastal development and sand mining degrade or eliminate nesting habitat, while incidental capture in fishing nets causes additional mortality across its riverine and coastal range.

Conservation measures remain limited relative to the scale of these threats. Efforts in parts of its range include community-based awareness programs, protection of some nesting areas, and research into population status and distribution, though enforcement and monitoring are inconsistent across its range countries.

Given the combination of ongoing egg and adult harvesting, habitat loss, and bycatch, without population trend data to confirm stability, the species' outlook remains uncertain. Its classification as Vulnerable reflects a documented risk of continued decline unless harvesting pressures and habitat degradation are more effectively addressed.

This large softshell turtle inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, and lower reaches of rivers throughout Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It requires sandy beaches for nesting and shallow marine waters with soft substrates for foraging.