‘Giant’ creature caught in trap on Indonesia island for first time. See it
On a remote island in Indonesia, a “giant” clawed creature moved through the murky water of a river. At least, it tried to, but something caught it and held it.
A fisherman checked the trap — and found the critically endangered animal, which turned out to be a first-of-its-kind sighting.
A team of scientists visited Belitung Island, a “remote” spot in between Borneo and Sumatra islands, in May 2023 as part of a “field expedition,” according to a study published Sept. 16 in the peer-reviewed journal Check List.
During their visit, researchers encountered a “local fisher” who had caught a large turtle in a “turtle trap,” the study said. The team took a closer look at the animal and identified it as the island’s “first official record” of a Malaysian giant turtle.
Malaysian giant turtles, or Orlitia borneensis, are “the largest freshwater turtle(s) in Southeast Asia,” their shells reaching up to about 31 inches long, researchers said. They are “generalist” feeders that live in “streams and shallow bodies of water in freshwater swamp-forest habitats.”
Photos show the Malaysian giant turtle found on Belitung Island. Its shell measured about 22 inches long and was “blackish-brown above” and “yellowish below,” the study said. Its arms and legs had several claws, and its head had “smooth skin.”
Malaysian giant turtles are considered critically endangered, researchers said. They have a “slow reproductive cycle” and are “often caught as bycatch in commercial and artisanal fisheries.” Their “critical” habitats have been “degraded and lost due to many anthropogenic pressures such as pollution, deforestation, mining, aquaculture, and commercial industries.”
Researchers photographed the turtle on Belitung Island, analyzed it and “released (it) at the point of capture.”
The recent sighting of a Malaysian giant turtle and an “unverified record” from 2020 suggest there could be “multiple populations across a fragmented distribution” of Belitung Island, researchers said. They suggested further surveys to “establish a baseline for future monitoring and conservation efforts.”
Belitung Island is in western Indonesia and roughly 230 miles northeast from Jakarta.
The research team included Veryl Hasan, Irhamna Rahmawati, Joko Guntoro, Josie South, Fitri Valen, Muhammad Tamam, Andreas Hardian, Sapto Andriyono, Nurjirana Nurjirana and Ahmad Kamarudin.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 4:25 PM with the headline "‘Giant’ creature caught in trap on Indonesia island for first time. See it."
