New Hope for the Critically Endangered Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle

There may be hope for the world's most endangered turtle: the Yangtze giant softshell turtle. Scientists have announced that the artificial insemination of a female was successful.

There are currently just four living Yangtze giant softshell turtles remaining in existence. There are two in Vietnam, both thought to be male, and two in China, a male in a female. The male in a female, both thought to be greater than 100 years in age, were brought together as part of a captive breeding program. However, the pair failed to reproduce naturally.

"It now appears that artificial insemination is the only possible option for the pair of Rafetus swinhoei in Suzhou Zoo to reproduce successfully," said Lu Shunqing, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The fate of the most endangered softshell turtle of the world is now in the balance."

The two turtles have displayed courting behavior before. However, the eggs laid by the female have so far been infertile. That's why the researchers investigated further to determine the cause of the infertility.

A team of scientists conducted a reproductive evaluation of the male, collecting semen to determine if he had viable sperm.

"We had to find out if the last known male in China no longer produces viable sperm due to old age or an inability to inseminate the female," said Gerald Kuchling, organizer of the artificial insemination effort. "At first we tried semen collection through manual stimulation and the use of a vibrator, but as previously found in another softshell turtle, the only way was through sedation of the male and electro-ejaculation-risky procedures due to his old age."

In the process, the researchers found that the male had damaged sex organs, perhaps due to a fight with another male decades ago. This mean that the male was incapable of inseminating the female and, therefore, fertilizing the eggs.

Knowing this, the researchers then turned to artificial insemination. In a couple of weeks, the female will lay her eggs and a few weeks after that, the scientists will know whether or not the eggs are fertile. While the fate of this species remains uncertain, there is hope that the eggs will be viable and more turtles will exist.

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