The Spotted Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), or Yangtze River giant soft-shelled turtle, is considered one of the most severely endangered species in the world, with only four known individuals left on Earth. On April 13, the last female of the species died in a zoo in Suzhou, China, reducing the turtle population to three.
In ancient times, the turtle was once abundant and widely distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Because of its large size, the ancients called it yuán. However, even if the turtle is huge, it cannot withstand the hunting of humans.
After 1972, no wild turtles were found. Previously, there were only two confirmable living individuals in China, and there was a male individual in Suzhou Zoo, in order to allow them to reproduce, another female was moved to Suzhou, and this female spotted turtle was the individual who died recently.
American researchers have reported observing a wild spotted turtle in northern Vietnam, but this information has not been confirmed. There was originally a legendary turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam, and it is said that it once carried a sword on its back and gave the sword to the Vietnamese Le Taizu Le Li, with which Li Li unified Vietnam. On January 19, 2016, the spotted turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake lost its vital signs and was pronounced dead.
According to the BBC, the female spotted turtle that died in Suzhou was captured more than 90 years ago, this time after staff performed artificial insemination. But no complications of the insemination procedure have been officially reported, and officials are investigating the cause of the turtle's death.
Another male spotted turtle at Suzhou Zoo is estimated to be more than 100 years old. According to a 2018 New York Times article, scientists have been trying for years to keep the spotted turtles bred, but failed because the two individuals were too old.
Aside from China, the world's last two known turtles live in ponds in Vietnam, and their sex is unknown.
The death of the spotted turtle is a sad story, because the species has only recently been named. Although the turtle has been named as early as 1873, it has long been mistaken for a shrew or Chinese turtle until 2002, when it was recognized as a separate species. In general, the turtle is huge, can grow to more than 160 kilograms, because of this, they are inconvenient to move, vulnerable to human hunting.
According to a 2018 report by the Zoological Society of London, while sea turtles and tortoises account for only 3.3 percent of the reptile species richness, they account for 29 of the world's 100 most endangered reptile species, and if humans don't pay attention to protecting this humble species, they will become extinct at an alarming rate.
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