Chelus

Chelus is a genus of large freshwater turtles found in tropical South America. Formerly considered to be a monotypic genus, it now consists of two extant species after Chelus orinocensis was identified in 2020 from a genetic analysis.

Species
There are two extant recognized species in this genus and one extinct species:


 * Chelus fimbriatus – Amazon mata mata
 * Chelus orinocensis – Orinoco mata mata
 * †Chelus colombianus – Columbian mata mata (Late Miocene)