Description

Their specially adapted tongue allows them to catch prey with little work-a lure-like projection of the tongue attracts curious fish that swim right into the turtle's mouth. To attract an unsuspecting victim, this turtle will lay on the bottom of the riverbed and open his jaws to reveal what looks like a delicious bright red wriggling worm, luring prey by fiendishly twitching this appendage back and forth. A fish that gets duped by the turtle's tongue will swim right into the range of the hungry predator's jaws. They can also actively search for prey by tasting chemicals in the water that are indicative of a particular species. This way, even when their prey is hiding in the sediment, they can still sense them.