Did you know that these turtles rarely leave the water, except to lay eggs?

The giant South American river turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. They are highly aquatic; typically, the females only leave the water to bask and lay 50–150 eggs at communal nesting sites during the dry season.

Historically, females gathered together in groups in the tens to hundreds of thousands—a behavior that made them especially vulnerable to human poaching.

Read on to learn more about the giant South Amerian river turtle!