similar except for the fringe-headed South American matamata and a New 
Guinea species provided with paddle-shaped limbs like a sea turtle. Snake- 
necks from tropical Africa, South America and Madagascar can only par¬ 
tially retract their necks. These also inhabit fresh water. 
Soft-shelled Turtles comprise a single family with twenty-five or more 
species scattered throughout Africa, Asia and North America. Their leathery 
skins cover pancake-shaped bodies. 
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