The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is an extremely rare species of softshell turtle found in Vietnam and China. It is also known as the Red River giant softshell turtle, Shanghai softshell turtle, or Swinhoe's softshell turtle. In Chinese, it is known as the speckled softshell turtle (Chinese: 斑鱉; Pinyin: bān bīe). Only four living individuals are known and it is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List. It is hoped that a pair at Suzhou Zoo in China will breed.
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Famous quotes containing the words yangtze, giant and/or turtle:
“Bodhidharma sailing the Yangtze on a reed
Lenin in a sealed train through Germany
Hsuan Tsang, crossing the Pamirs
Joseph, Crazy Horse, living the last free
starving high-country winter of their tribes.
Surrender into freedom revolt into slavery—”
—Gary Snyder (b. 1930)
“Haze, char, and the weather of All Souls:
A giant absence mopes upon the trees:”
—Richard Wilbur (b. 1921)
“The second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
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—Unknown. The Twelve Days of Christmas (l. 4–6)