Mata mata
Chelus fimbriata

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Head and neck: Head large, triangular, flattened; neck long with skin flaps on sides; snout long and narrow.

Body
Carapace- orange to black; oblong; flattened; three rows of knobby keels; sides almost parallel; posterior rim rounded, heavily serrated; lateral margins serrated and downturned; one small cervical scute; 1st vertebral expanded anteriorly; 2nd to 4th vertebrals as long as broad; scutes rough with growth rings (annuli)


Plastron- pale yellow, orange or brown with or without dark spots; narrow; rounded in front; tapered at back; cross like appearance; hingeless;


Limbs and tail: orange to brown; five claws on each forefoot; webbed; tail is short.

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