It is a turtle with a soft, smooth shell, covered with skin instead of scales, ovoid in shape and with spines on the edges. Their shell is olive or brown in colour, covered with black spots. Their nose is long and can be distinguished from other species by the two yellow bands with black borders between the eyes and nose. 

They are mainly aquatic, except during the resting and breeding phases. In winter, they hibernate by burying themselves in the substrate, underwater. They are able to breathe underwater by absorbing oxygen through extra pulmonary pathways. 

They are fast predators specialised in hunting insects and crustaceans. They supplement their diet with fish, amphibians, molluscs and worms, and occasionally plants. 

Males are polygamous and smaller than females. Breeding is seasonal, taking place in late spring. Males seek out females for mating. Spawning, of between 10 and 40 eggs, takes place in a hole dug in a sandbank near the shore. The eggs are sometimes incubated throughout the winter and hatch the following spring.  

Tanto los machos como las hembras alcanzan la madurez sexual después de 8 a 10 años.  

Conservation status