The Yangtze giant softshell turtle species lost its last known female a few days ago. She was over 90 years old. Living in the rivers of southern and eastern China, and northern Vietnam, these turtles may have been the largest freshwater turtles in the world. As far as we know, only three males remain now, one in captivity and two in the wild.



Extinction is all but guaranteed.

A whole species lost... thousands of years of evolution, of selecting all the genes that would make the best Yangtze giant softshell turtle there could be, all of Nature's graceful work erased...

This has me heartbroken.