Which critically endangered turtle species is found in the Yangtze River and has fewer than 5 individuals known?

The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is the critically endangered turtle found historically in the Yangtze River, with fewer than five known individuals.

Also called Swinhoe’s softshell turtle, Rafetus swinhoei is one of the world’s largest freshwater turtles. It has a flexible, leathery shell rather than a hard, plated carapace, along with a broad head and a pig-like snout. Historically, it lived in the Yangtze River, Lake Tai, southern China, and parts of northern Vietnam.

Its decline has been driven by habitat destruction, water pollution, hunting, fishing injuries, and the loss of breeding opportunities. Captive-breeding attempts have repeatedly failed, including efforts involving a male at Suzhou Zoo and a female transferred from Changsha Zoo. The last known captive female died in 2019.

The species’ known population has changed as surveys confirmed or lost individuals in Vietnamese lakes. A female discovered in Dong Mo Lake died in 2023, leaving the species on the edge of functional extinction. Snapping turtles, painted turtles, and alligator snapping turtles are different groups; none is the species described by this question.