The last known specimen caught in the wild in China was in 1998 in the Red River between Yuanyang and Jianshui it was then released. The Yangtze giant softshell turtle has been known to inhabit the Yangtze River and Lake Taihu, situated on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, in eastern China, and Gejiu, Yuanyang, Jianshui and Honghe in Yunnan province in southern China. The male is generally smaller than the female and has a longer, larger tail.
Its head can measure over 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length and 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in width. Its carapace, or shell can grow larger than 50 centimetres (20 in) in length and width. The specimen caught from Vietnam weighed over 200 kilograms (440 lb). It measures over 100 centimetres (39 in) in length and 70 centimetres (28 in) in width and weighs approximately 70–100 kilograms (150–220 lb). This critically endangered species holds the title of being the largest freshwater turtle in the world. The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is noted for its deep head with pig-like snout and eyes dorsally placed. It is hoped that a pair at Suzhou Zoo in China will breed. Only four living individuals are known and it is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List. In Chinese it is known as the specked softshell turtle (Chinese: 斑鱉 Pinyin: Bān Bīe). It is also known as the Red river giant softshell turtle, Shanghai softshell turtle, or Swinhoe's softshell turtle. The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is an extremely rare species of softshell turtle found in Vietnam and China. Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle - Rafetus swinhoei
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