The lifeless body of one of the last remaining Yangtze elephantine softshell turtle was regain on April 21 at Đồng Mô Lake in the Vietnamese majuscule of Hanoi , according to Vietnamese media . It ’s been widely report that this was the last female of the species , effecting dooming the much - make love metal money into extinction .
The deceased polo-neck quantify around 1.56 meters long ( 5 ft and 1 inch ) and weighed 93 kilograms ( 57 pounds)VnExpressreports .
Now this squealer - nosed individual has passed , the totalpopulation of the speciesis now down to just three males : two living in China and another in Hanoi ’s Xuân Khanh Lake .
" Its cause of death has yet to be confirm , " Phung Huy Vinh , promontory of the economical department of Son Tay Town , separate VnExpress .
The death was later confirmed by the header of the Asian Turtle Program for Indo - Myanmar Conservation , who explained the individual was the last female .
“ It is the same individual that we ’ve been monitoring in recent years . It ’s a veridical blow , ” Tim McCormack , director of the Asian Turtle Program for Indo - Myanmar Conservation , toldTIME .
“ It was a prominent female that plainly has bang-up reproductive capacity . She could have potentially laid a hundred eggs or more a year , ” added McCormack .
Back in 2019 , it wasreportedthat the earth ’s last known female Yangtze hulk softshell turtle cash in one’s chips after a conk out effort at artificial insemination in China . However , it transpired that a female person was hold out across the border in Vietnam , raising hopesfor the animal ’s future tense .
It looks like those dreams have been flash – for now , at least . It ’s still possible that other individuals , both male and female , of the subtle species could still be out there , but there ’s no certainty .
Yangtze elephantine softshell turtleneck , also known as Hoàn Kiếm turtles and Swinhoe ’s softshell polo-neck , are the largest species of freshwaterturtleon Earth . They once thrived throughout northern Vietnam and southern China , but have since knuckle under to over - hunt and habitat loss .
The strange turtleneck hold a huge cultural significance in Vietnam . Although there ’s some debate , it ’s believed the Yangtze giant softshell turtle were the intake behind the legend of Kim Quy , a mythical gilded turtle god that appears in several Vietnamese legends . It ’s said this figure often come along at frequent time interval throughout Vietnamese chronicle to serve ward off foreign enemy invade the land .
Given its tight ties to the chronicle of Vietnam , the loss of this individual is no doubt being felt across the country .
