Photos: World's smallest turtle born in captivity

Mexico’s Guadalajara Zoo achieved the first birth of a Vallarta mud turtle in captivity

Last updated: August 26, 2025 | 08:52

2 MIN READ

A critically endangered turtle, a species so small it fits in your palm, has been successfully bred in captivity for the first time.

AFP

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The Vallarta mud turtle, a microendemic species from Jalisco and considered the smallest turtle in the world, lives in the wetlands of the Ameca River valley.

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Its habitat is under severe pressure from urbanization, and the species is seriously threatened by illegal trafficking, which has led to its classification as critically endangered.

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An incubator containing eggs of the Vallarta mud turtle (Kinosternon vogti)— considered the smallest turtle in the world — at the Guadalajara Zoo.

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An incubator holds eggs of the Vallarta mud turtle, the world's smallest turtle species, at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico.

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A Vallarta mud turtle, considered the world's smallest turtle species, is seen at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico.

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A close-up of a newborn Vallarta mud turtle at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico.

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A Vallarta mud turtle, the world's smallest turtle species, is shown next to a 5-peso Mexican coin.

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A worker holds a Vallarta mud turtle at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico.

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