#rafetus

[herpsandbirds]

hi could you tell me what the rarest reptile is I’m curious and would like to know and could you also tell me the largest bird thanks

So, there are many species that are considered very rare, but are most likely extinct, because they haven't been seen for a while. I'm not going to consider those species.

I'm going to look at a species for which we only know of 2 living specimens.

Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), family Triochychidae, once inhabited river systems and lakes in Eastern and Southern China

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

There are, most likely, only 2 individuals left in the world. (They are both males).

This is considered by some, to be the largest freshwater turtle in the world, weighing in at up to 100 kg (220 lbs). This is the largest verified spcimen, others may have been larger, reportedly.

photographs via: Asian Turtle Program

[meganzapiain-blog]

Showcases the breeding attempts and nesting hopes for the very last female Rafetus (the Yangtze river turtle). There are only four individuals left of the species, with only one female. Lonesome George also makes an appearance; the last of his species-the Pinto tortoise of the famed Galapagos Islands, he died last year.