Mata mata: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the mata mata lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Chelus fimbriatus
Group	Turtles & tortoises
Found in	1 country
Continents	South America
Class	Reptile
Order	Testudines
Family	Chelidae

Where does the mata mata live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the mata mata in 1 country or territory across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: São Geraldo do Araguaia.

Brazil

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the mata mata?

The mata mata (Chelus fimbriatus) is a reptile in the order Testudines and the family Chelidae, genus Chelus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the mata mata

The mata mata, mata-mata, or matamata (Chelus fimbriata) is a South American species of freshwater turtle found in the Amazon basin and river system of the eastern Guianas. It was formerly believed to also occur in the Orinoco basin, western Guianas and upper Rio Negro–Branco system, but in 2020 these populations were found to belong to a separate species, Chelus orinocensis (Orinoco mata mata). Subsequently, some authorities have modified the common name of Chelus fimbriata to Amazon mata mata. These two are the only extant species in the genus Chelus.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Mata mata (revision 1362188024), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q317386 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).