Long Incubation

The reproductive process can result in a clutch of up to 28 eggs, which the female mata mata turtle deposits in a nest on land. And the babies subsequently emerge after an unusually lengthy incubation of around 200 days, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute notes. Unlike some other turtles, this species has not historically been considered rare – although recent revelations could see that change. Photo Credit: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images