A yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle on a stone ledge by water. — Photo: FakirNL, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle

Podocnemis unifilis

A side-necked South American river turtle with yellow head spots that can live up to 70 years.

🐢 Turtles and Tortoises

Checking teacher reviews…

Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle

Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtles are 15 to 27 inches long; females are bigger, weighing 2.5 to 6.5 pounds, while males weigh 1 to 2 pounds. They have dark domed shells and yellow-orange head markings. They live in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems of northern South America and bask on riverbanks. They eat both plants and small animals.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Podocnemis unifilis^[1]
Size: 15 to 27 inches long.^[1]
Weight: Males 1 to 2 pounds; females 2.5 to 6.5 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: Up to 70 years.^[1]
Diet: Omnivore. Plants and small animals.^[1]
Habitat: Rivers, calm waters and riverbanks.^[1]
Where it lives: The Amazon and Orinoco river systems, from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia and Brazil.^[1]
Group life: Active by day.^[1]
Babies: About 20 to 30 eggs that hatch in a little over two months.^[1]
Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 1996).^[2]

Fun facts

These turtles can live up to 70 years.^[1]
Hatchlings have very bright yellow spots.^[1]
Males court females by nipping their feet and tails.^[1]

Vocabulary

side-necked turtle: A turtle that tucks its head sideways under its shell.
bask: To lie in the sun to warm up.
carapace: The top part of a turtle's shell.
omnivore: An animal that eats both plants and other animals.
vulnerable: A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · AmazoniaSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Reptile Discovery CenterSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/yellow-spotted-amazon-river-turtle (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Podocnemis unifilis (Yellow-spotted River Turtle).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17825/97397562 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

More Turtles and Tortoises

African Spurred TortoiseCentrochelys sulcata (also called Geochelone sulcata)The largest mainland African tortoise, a burrowing plant-eater of the dry lands south of the Sahara, also called the sulcata tortoise.Aldabra TortoiseAldabrachelys giganteaOne of the world's largest tortoises, from the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, which can weigh 550 pounds and may live 150 years.Alligator Snapping TurtleMacrochelys temminckiiThe largest freshwater turtle in the United States, which lures fish into its open jaws with a worm-like bit on its tongue.Australian Big-headed TurtleEmydura australisA river turtle from northwestern Australia with a head too big to pull into its shell and strong jaws for crushing snails.Australian Snake-necked TurtleChelodina longicollisA southeastern Australian turtle whose neck can be more than half as long as its shell.Diamondback TerrapinMalaclemys terrapinA colorful turtle of coastal salt marshes from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, the only turtle besides sea turtles that lives in brackish water.Eastern Box TurtleTerrapene carolinaA land turtle of the eastern United States that can close its shell like a box and may live more than 100 years.Florida Red-Bellied TurtlePseudemys nelsoniA Florida freshwater turtle with a reddish belly that sometimes lays its eggs in alligator nests for protection.Fly River TurtleCarettochelys insculptaA pig-nosed freshwater turtle with flipper-like front legs and a leathery shell, the last of its turtle family.Hermann's TortoiseTestudo hermanniA small, domed European tortoise with a black-and-yellow patterned shell that sleeps through the cold months.Home's Hinge-back TortoiseKinixys homeanaA small West African forest tortoise with a sharply angled shell that eats mostly insects, unusual for a tortoise.Mata MataChelus fimbriataA camouflaged Amazon turtle with a flat head and snorkel nose that vacuums up fish by suddenly opening its mouth.McCord's Box TurtleCuora mccordiAn extremely rare Chinese box turtle first discovered in a food market and likely extinct in the wild.Mojave Desert TortoiseGopherus agassiziiCalifornia's state reptile, a burrowing tortoise of the southwestern deserts that is now critically endangered.Painted River TerrapinBatagur borneoensisA critically endangered Southeast Asian river turtle whose males grow a bright red stripe on the head in breeding season.Pancake TortoiseMalacochersus tornieriA critically endangered East African tortoise with a thin, flat, flexible shell that hides in rock cracks instead of in its shell.Radiated TortoiseAstrochelys radiataA critically endangered Madagascar tortoise named for the yellow star-like lines on its high, domed shell.Red-Footed TortoiseChelonoidis carbonariaA South American tortoise with black skin and red patches like glowing coals that spreads seeds by eating fruit.Spider TortoisePyxis arachnoidesA tiny, critically endangered Madagascar tortoise named for the web-like yellow lines on its dark shell.Spotted Pond TurtleGeoclemys hamiltoniiA black turtle covered in white or yellow spots from the ponds and marshes of northern South Asia.Spotted TurtleClemmys guttataA small, endangered black turtle of eastern North America sprinkled with yellow spots that help it hide among duckweed.Western Pond TurtleActinemys marmorataCalifornia's only native freshwater turtle, a small olive-brown turtle that zoos help return to local ponds.Western Santa Cruz Galápagos TortoiseChelonoidis porteriA huge, dome-shelled Galápagos tortoise from Santa Cruz Island that migrates along "tortoise highways."