Rare tiny turtle with head smaller than a 5p coin hatches at British zoo

A critically endangered big-headed turtle has hatched in the UK – and is tiny enough to fit into the palm of a zoo-keeper’s hand.

At just two inches long, the tiny hatchling’s supposedly big head is still smaller than a 5p coin.

But the creatures grow to around 16in long as adults, with a head so big in relation to their body that it cannot be retracted into their shell. Instead, they have armour plating from head to tail and a very sharp beak to fend off predators.

Big-headed turtles, or platysternon megacephalum, are from the mountainous regions of Central China and mainland Southeast Asia. They are hunted for their meat and the international pet trade, and are classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species.

The turtle has armour plating from head to tail and a very sharp beak to fend off predators (Newquay Zoo / SWNS)

Reports suggest that the species’ population has decreased by 90% in the last 90 years.

This is due to factors including habitat pollution, climate change, loss of habitat due to intensive farming and development, the pet trade and use in traditional medicines.

Simon Pratley, keeper of Newquay Zoo in Cornwall where it hatched, said: “Big-headed turtles are struggling in the wild. So I’m glad we can introduce this fascinating species to visitors and highlight issues threatening its survival.”