Chelus
Chelus is a genus of large freshwater turtles found in tropical South America. Formerly considered to be a monotypic genus, it now consists of two extant species after Chelus orinocensis was identified in 2020 from a genetic analysis.
Evolution
Fossils of the extinct †C. colombianus have been found in Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil, including a skull dating to the early Miocene of the Castilletes Formation, Cocinetas Basin, in Colombia. The fossil shows that the skull morphology of Chelus has been almost unchanged since the Miocene.Species
There are two extant recognized species in this genus and one extinct species:- Chelus fimbriatus – Amazon mata mata
- Chelus orinocensis – Orinoco mata mata
- †Chelus colombianus – Columbian mata mata