Frog-faced turtles are motionless 95% of the time.

The Asian giant leatherback turtle lives motionless in the mud at the river bottom, only suddenly attacking prey that swims by.

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the Asian giant softshell turtle , or Cantor's giant softshell turtle ( Pelochelys cantorii ) , named after Danish zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor, spends 95 percent of its life lying completely motionless , buried in mud or sand in shallow rivers, with only its eyes and snorkel-like snout exposed. But when these strange-looking reptiles spot food, they can move at lightning speed, according to Live Science .

The extremely rare Asian giant softshell turtle. (Photo: Ben G. Thomas).

When they see fish, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, insects, birds, or small reptiles, the Asian giant softshell turtle quickly extends its neck to attack its prey. They have long claws and extremely powerful jaws, strong enough to crush bones.

Unlike their hard-shelled relatives, these large freshwater turtles have a smooth, flat shell that is green or brown. They are also known as frog-faced softshell turtles because of their frog-like facial features. They can grow up to 100 cm long, growing even larger and weighing over 100 kg.

Like other softshell turtles, Asian giant softshell turtles are able to filter oxygen from water through their skin , allowing them to stay underwater for long periods of time. However, because they can collect so much oxygen that way, they only surface to breathe air twice a day.

This turtle is critically endangered. Only one specimen was found between 1985 and 1995. They are native to rivers in India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. In 2024, the first nest of a Cantor's turtle was discovered by biologists on the banks of the Chandragiri River in Kerala, India. The team used knowledge from the local community to find the turtle's location.