Mata mata
species of turtle
The mata mata, mata-mata, or matamata (Chelus fimbriata) is a South American species of freshwater turtle found in the Amazon basin and river system of the eastern Guianas. It was formerly believed to also occur in the Orinoco basin, western Guianas and upper Rio Negro–Branco system, but in 2020 these populations were found to belong to a separate species, Chelus orinocensis (Orinoco mata mata). Subsequently, some authorities have modified the common name of Chelus fimbriata to Amazon mata mata. These two are the only extant species in the genus Chelus.
Taxonomy
The mata mata first became known to western scientists when it was described by French naturalist Pierre Barrère in 1741 as a "large land turtle with spiky and ridged scales" (translation). It was first scientifically described as Testudo terrestris in 1765 by Spanish zoologist Fermín Zanón Cervera, but the same scientific name was used for describing the Greek tortoise by Peter Forsskål posthumously in 1775. In 1783, the mata mata was scientifically described again, this time as Testudo fimbriata by German naturalist Johann Gottlob Schneider. In 1805, it was moved to its own genus as Chelys fimbriata by André Marie Constant Duméril. From the mid 1700s to the late 1800s, altogether 15 different scientific names were used for the species. Since the late 1800s, most authorities have used the name Chelys fimbriata.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Mata mata” as species of turtle. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of turtle. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q317386. The Library of Congress control number is sh2017004691. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1741, 1765 and 1775.
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This entry incorporates text from “Mata mata” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.