Mexico's Guadalajara Zoo has achieved a small wonder: it successfully hatched a Vallarta mud turtle.
A worker holds a Vallarta mud turtle at the Guadalajara Zoo in Jalisco state, Mexico, August 25, 2025. /VCG
The Vallarta mud turtle, recently discovered, is the smallest freshwater turtle species in the world, with adults reaching a maximum shell length of just 10.2 centimeters.
A Vallarta mud turtle is seen next to a 5-peso Mexican coin for size comparison at the Guadalajara Zoo in Jalisco state, Mexico, August 25, 2025. /VCG
Very little information exists about this species, underscoring how rare and understudied it remains.
(Cover: A Vallarta mud turtle at the Guadalajara Zoo in Jalisco state, Mexico, August 25, 2025. /VCG)
Source: CGTN
