Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Hoge's side-necked turtle (Mesoclemmys hogei), recorded as Critically Endangered
Hoge's side-necked turtle (Mesoclemmys hogei). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Hoge's side-necked turtle

Mesoclemmys hogei

Hoge's side-necked turtle is a turtle in the family Chelidae — Mesoclemmys hogei, recorded as Critically Endangered and tied to Brazil.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Mesoclemmys hogei
Recorded from
Brazil
Taxonomy
Testudines · Chelidae · Mesoclemmys

The turtle

Hoge's side-necked turtle is a turtle in the family Chelidae — Mesoclemmys hogei.

Range and habitat

The species is endemic to the eastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the Carangola River of Minas Gerais and Paraíba do Sul River, Rio de Janeiro. The most documented population resides in the midsection of the Carangola River with an estimated population of less than 2000.

The Rainforest Trust also thanks the TSA (Turtle Survival Alliance), and the Wildlife Conservation Society for their help in the creation of the Hoge's Side-necked Turtle Reserve.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

The Official Brazilian Red List considers Hoge's sideneck turtle to be the most endangered turtle species within Brazil. The primary threat to the ongoing survival of R. Hogei is habitat degradation owing to ongoing deforestation, sewage and industrial discharge, agricultural pollution, and dam construction. Another major concern is direct mortality from sports fishing, hooks with a lower threat level to turtles has been promoted in recent years, as well as two designated no-fishing zones being established along the Carangola River.

Genetic studies have also shown R. Hogei to have very low levels of genetic diversity, most likely owing to a population bottleneck in the past.

Hoge's side-necked turtle is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Hoge's side-necked turtle, Wikidata item Q2265469. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Dahl's toad-headed turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Dahl's toad-headed turtle

Mesoclemmys dahli
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Hoge's side-necked turtle?
Hoge's side-necked turtle is a turtle in the family Chelidae — Mesoclemmys hogei.
What is the conservation status of Hoge's side-necked turtle?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Mesoclemmys hogei. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Hoge's side-necked turtle live?
The species is endemic to the eastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the Carangola River of Minas Gerais and Paraíba do Sul River, Rio de Janeiro.
Why is Hoge's side-necked turtle in crisis?
The most documented population resides in the midsection of the Carangola River with an estimated population of less than 2000.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Mesoclemmys hogei?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Hoge's side-necked turtle a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.