Mata Mata, The Best Pet Turtle? 

Flexispot is having their annual anniversary sale! Use my code CLINT for up to 60% off on orders over $500 at bit.ly/clint10

Clint I watch these not because of the animals, I watch them because your passion and enthusiasm is infectious.

Clint is one of the few Animal RU-vidrs that has a bio related degree. While education isn't everything, this is why Clints material FEELS organic, organized, passionate, and humble. Clint is a treaure. He is brilliant.

Clint, the look of pure unbridled joy while riding your desk was amazing! 😂 Also, the Mata Mata is a beautiful turtle but you're right, not pet material 😊

"We keep the water clean and we feed it" hilarious and what a mood

Without a doubt, the best sponsor segment of Clint's career! 😂🤩🤣 And the turtle info was delightful as always 😊

Clint, I appreciate this, I have read and watched anything I can on these as it's my favorite turtle! I legitimately was just saying there isn't a lot of information on the mata mata, and I wake up to this. I rescued a baby mata mata from someone local here who kept him in a plastic container with no filter barely fed. I have had him two years now in a pond setup, I do use a sand, media sump and uv filter. The room stays very humid as the frogs and geckos I keep require it and I keep it temp regulated, my ph stays around 6.0 to 6.5 he feeds on different live feeders, I do use a supplement with as well. I will say I loved this video because it gave even more insight to a turtle that is truly hard to keep as I do upkeep daily I test the water daily also. Truly thank you for this video and giving a great insight to how hard they are to keep

Clint, please do a video on pigeons and doves. They’re so much more than they get credit for in the domestic setting and I think you’re the perfect person to get into that. It would make the best feathered reptile to exhibit on this channel.

I do deeply love the Mata Mata. One of my favourite scenes ever from an Amazon documentary involves a camera slowly making it's way through the murk of a river and then that big stupid grin looming out of the shadows.... How someone hasn't convinced Frank Oz to make a muppet of one and have it appear on Sesame Street or something I do not know.

This channel is consistently one of the best out there. Thank you Clint and everyone that helps him do this.

The long awaited return of the Mata Mata lol

The Detroit Zoo has ALSO had the same Mata Mata for a VERY long time in our zoo's reptile house! Bonus fun fact, our reptile house is also one of the only original structures from the 1920s from our ORIGINAL zoo! Signed, a Detroit native and former Detroit Zoo employee lol

Bob seems very knowledgeable on mata matas. Seems even Clint learned things when he asked those questions. Love to see it.

Imagine spending the day at the aquarium with Clint! Now that would be a stinkin' rad day!

The RU-vidr Bobby from the channel Bass Fishing Pro had a Matamata. He's only had it for a little over a month or so but it's seems to be thriving. He has it in a full on pond, in Florida, outside, with live live-barers breeding in the pond with him for a for source.

Only clint can make me watch a sponsorship for a desk and enjoy every second of it

My son loves your videos. I think your channel is awesome. He's ten and very into bugs and reptiles resetly he told me he's having a hard time making friends that they don't get him, and they don't like bugs like him. I was able to brighten his day by bringing up your channel and telling him there's lots of people who do like that stuff and even get jobs taking care of animals like that RU-vid guy you like and he said clint?! I said yes him he's got lots of friends who love the same things as you , and it takes time to meet people who love the same things." Anyways I just wanted to say thank you for your great videos that brighten his day I always tell people and him that when I see your videos I almost see my son as an adult lol. He currently wants to be a bee keeper when he grows up for the sweetest reasons. ❤

I just visited the Loveland Aquarium a month ago, was blown away by the size of the Arapaima. Pictures really don't do them justice.

They say you should never meet your heroes cuz theyll just disappoint you. I would like everyone to know that Clint does NOT follow this rule. He is a wonderful human being. In fact, I'm going to give him an overall score of 4 based on our five criteria. It would be higher, but he gets a 1 out of 5 on Availability since he is literally one of a kind, and also that one is presumably not for sale. This places him just barely lower than a Western Hognose. Jokes aside though, my four year old daughter has been into snakes lately and has been watching Clint for some time. We took her to Clints Reptile Room recently and we actually got to meet the man himself for a few minutes. Even though he was a bit busy, he made time to talk with us and to interact with my daughter who was wanting to meet him. He was so positive and you can tell in how he spoke with her that he is an experienced educator and it was a great experience. Also, big shoutout to their staff, Sawyer. To be clear, every staff we spoke with was helpful and knowledgeable and great, but Sawyer was the first to greet us as we came in. I told him my daughter had been into snakes lately and he brought out this tiny black snake named Sparrow (I dont recall the species). My daughter was nervous at first, but he worked with her and patiently coached her and eventually she was excited to show me her holding the snake, her "new friend". Sawyer eventually brought her a slightly larger snake named Buttercup and taught her about draping it around her shoulders and supporting the head and body, etc. Eventually, He brought he a beautiful leucistic Ball Python named Ethel. My daughter was thrilled by the larger snake and still talks about wanting to go back to see "her white snake". As a father, it was so rewarding to see her work through the process from being nervous about a small snake to becoming best friends with a larger snake. I'm grateful to Clint for starting this business and to his wonderful staff for educating people and possibly sparking a lifetime of love and understanding where there may have otherwise only been fear or anxiety. We cant wait to go back.

I love the Living Planet Aquarium! It's so cool that you have a good relationship with them, and make these types of features possible. :)

Hey Clint, Why don’t you get to think of a suggestion and creating a RU-vid Videos all about the Origins and the Inspirations of the Reptiles in Myths, such as Dragons, Wyverns, the Loch Ness Monster, Sea Serpents, Nagas, the Hydra, the Leviathan, the Amphisbaena, the Cockatrice, the Basilisk, Medusa The Gorgon, Typhon, Quetzalcoatl, The Feathered Serpent God, Etc. on the next Clint’s Reptiles on the next Saturday coming up next?!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍👍👍👍👍

I also love mata mata, despite which subspecies , all of them are gorgeous, Hey Clint, would you mind enlight us about Diamondback Terrapins?

I have a mata mata del Rio orinoco taken at a turtle fair in 2019.Now for two years she has been living in a preformed pond that I installed internally at home. I alternate frozen fish with live fish. I also tried other types of food that were never considered by her. Acidify water from time to time by adding catappa leaf. The temperature of the winter water. It is around the 24' in the hottest spot. Out of the water I only have two neon LEDs for the plants. Being that the water evaporates, the right moist condensation is created for when it comes out to breathe and I refill hot water weekly. So far I haven't had any health problems and it has reached a fair size. Now that she is grown I feed her twice a week, but sometimes I leave fish in the pond that last several times/days and that she loves to 😁😁 hunt. As a child, however, she ate almost every day. But even as a child there was no way to make them eat worms, insects or other food, she preferred to starve rather even though on some groups they said she could eat anything other than fish. At the moment I have never included heated outdoor lamps even though the room is not particularly warm in winter. I use a pond filter pump with a uvc lamp and the inserted plants also help to keep the water clean.

Can't imagine how excited Clint must have been for this video!

4:47 we need a clint reptiles out of context meme

I know Kamp Kenan had a Mata mata fairly long term in an outside pond in South Florida, which would cover the humidity and temperature needs of the turtle.

Clint and that new desk... I think that not even his children (older two) would not enjoy the desk ride as much as Clint did...

The goofiness in all the videos keeps me coming back to understand the exotic animals some people keep.

I would genuinely love a series where Clint just goes around to different zoos and aquariums and talks with the keepers about what’s involved with caring for a given animal.

This video contains the best ad I've ever seen on RU-vid. 10/10

The best point here is clearly seeing a PHD say "WIIII!" on an elevator desk and probably thinking about putting a Mata Mata on it and pressing the button up and down repeatedly.

Great video as always, but also probably the best sponsor clip I've ever seen. Just seeing you ride the desk up and down is something that I need to watch on repeat

The mata mata's smiley mouth cracks me up. Looks like a wizard or some fantasy creature combined with that beard

I came for the Mata Mata. I stayed for the delightful table play. Clint, you beautiful goof!

I do not watch these videos with any desire or want of a pet at all. But i do so absolutely love reptiles, and love to see them and hear them talked about and you do an excellent job in part due to the information, but largely because you're so excited to talk about the animal, too.

I remember the first time I saw a mata mata! I was visiting an aquarium and walked past a tank, I thought it was a weird log with plants on it at first. Then it stuck it's neck out to grab some food at the surface. I was very surprised to see the log extend it's neck, but I spent a long time at the tank marveling at how strange and cool they look.

I promise you I will not be getting this turtle for a pet. It would be unwise for me. TY for the pros and cons. I hope others find this honest review helpful too. Meanwhile, I enjoyed your photography of this animal, especially the feeding. I am glad I found your channel.

I appreciate honesty about animals. No trying to push them, no encouraging rading the wild but straight up, it's cool but it's not for you!

But Clint... is the Flexispot the best pet table for you?

It sounds like it’s not that they are intolerant of water quality issues per se, but that they don’t like shifting conditions. In a system as massive as a professional aquarium’s, there’s likely little shift from day to day, or hour to hour, or even week to week.

Clint seems like an insanely nice guy. Gentle and humble. Need more people like him.

Mata Mata so nice they named it twice! I love their cute lil smiley face!!

Sitting under a waterfall will help keep the turtle on the bottom while using less energy to do so, and is an opportunistic spot to wait for prey that will come “down” the current

Hey clint! I dont keep mata mata, but i do keep a little blackwater tank, and some of the reading ive done suggests that bacteria may be the most important aspect of keeping animals adapted to these environments. The pH of these environments is often too low for benefitial bacteria important to the nitrogen cycle and for harmful bacteria which results in lowered immunities especially for wild caught animals. This means that if you give them a naturalistic environment you increase the risk of poor water quality issues and if you dont you risk exposing them to bacteria theyre not adapted to surviving. UV treating the water is a really smart choice if this is relevant to mata mata like it is to other orinoco river animals.

I was soooo tempted when my local reptile store had a Mata mata. Thankfully I didn't have anywhere for it, but I still want one...

4:50 The pure joy coming off this man as he vibes atop a really cool table is giving me all the seratonin I needed today

I can't get over that smile 😂

Those desk are great. Had one at work. Love one for my home office. With Clint’s discount maybe I’ll make that happen. And put a bunch of dart frogs on it. The people at work said they are scary.

The table is stable no matter how hard you rub it. Great product placement. Juuuust great. I'll get one.

I adore the Mata Mata. Such a cool looking beast! 😁❤

I just clicked on this video because the mata mata is one of my absolute favourite animals!! I made a whole multimedia project about them in college! And I hope this video is 20 minutes of talking about how delightfully goofy they are. What wonderful creatures!!

I love all of the different types of videos on this channel, but the "Best Pet" videos might be one of the most important.

Great video. The Mata Mata is a gorgeous turtle and Clint is a fantastic creator! Your passion is contagious and that sponsor section was incredible 😂

Never thought I'd say this, but that's my favorite ad read from your channel yet.

I love these videos, Clint is totally the american version of the late Danish TV presenter Poul Thomsen, he made mainly nature programs in the 80s and 90s, check it out, its allmost uncanny.

4:52 That pose reminds me of Joe Namath's pose when he wore pantyhose in a TV commercial. Your sponsor picked an iconic spokesman.

the way Clint talks about these lads sounds like how I talk about thresher sharks

I'm from Trinidad and Tobago and we have these as well. They are truly weird looking but kind of cool.

Keep up the good work Clint! I’ve used your videos to help family with their worries about reptiles, arachnids, etc. to the point that my girlfriend and brother have started their own collections. Thank you for the great content and education.

Love getting the notifications that u posted!! I get to learn

I've read that in Brazil, a rather comely looking lady can be referred to as a Mata Mata .... A very interesting video.

CST and mata-mate are my fav too. Interestingly, CST's do the suction feeding too.

Good day sir, what a fantastic video sir. But you and Dave's Snake Discovery build off this year was incredible. Oh my please have a video on your adventure with that build. Again a very fantastic video today. Keep up the video sir.

I've waited for this video for a couple years! I love turtles. Especially the Mata Mata! Ita a real-life turtinator.( pokemon)

Love the scindapsus growing wild on those trunks

topanga plaza, canoga park, ca had one for years in a rather small tank 1967. we didn’t know much about it. fascinating.

After accidentally tapping straight to the ad for the desk, I gave this video a thumbs up. ❤

I absolutely love each and every video you make at my work. Seeing that turtle at work every day is always fun

There's a fish/aquarium store in Minneapolis (I think it's called AquariumLand) that has a Mata Mata that they've had for at least a dozen years, probably longer. And they keep it in a 120 gallon aquarium, bare bottom, no land area or basking spot. Just a few large sponge filters and a heater. And as far as I know it's totally healthy.

Not that I am advocating for they way they keep theirs, but Aqualand Aquarium Center in Minneapolis has one they have had for years with dramatically less care. Again, I am not advocating for this, but it is an example of one being successfully kept with less than zoo levels of care. It's cool, if not a little sad, to drop by and see it if you are in the area.

Not so long ago I always thought snapping turtles and Mata Matas were always the same, living in Venezuela I've seen and even carried some Mata Mata, so naturally when someone said a snapping turtle the Mata Mata was the thing that came to my head 😅

Clint, you should have hopped on the table when you said "no matter how big of an animal you have on here"

Clint riding the desk was great 😅

Love how much you enjoy the table 😂

Argentine snake-neck turtles have similar carapace when they are small. I love that feature as well! I have both mata mata and argentine snake-neck, I tend to add some peat in their water to sustain the acidity they need.

I would assume that the type of vision a mata mata has is reliant on light diffusion, meaning they see layers of shadow in the water column and hide where the fish school or rest during crepuscular light cycles. So it is what they see, not just that they see. The tubercle scales and other projections would also be similar to a crocodile's sensory scales. One terrible assumption about reptiles with osteoderms and other hard scales is that the hard scales have very little feeling. Crocodile's vibration sense is absolutely amazing. You can see the sensory dimples on their scales all over. I see the dimples on a mata mata as well. Not just in that cute dopey grin. I think mata matas definitely fit a category of reptiles that takes advantage of their hard protuberances and sensory dimples to hunt. And yes, they ambush, but they are moving ambush predators. The tagged wild specimens have a larger range than you'd think. I've heard conservationists talk about it. Probably some of the same ones that Clint has talked to, based on some of the things I've heard him say. The fish and other animals probably have a hard time seeing them too, which is why they are so shy about being seen. Being shy does not make for a good zoo animal, but it does make for a successful species in the wild.

I have a request: I went to a local pet store and they had a sloth on display and moray eels for sale, so either of those I’d love to see a video on

I want one so badly it's my dream turtle!! Plus, I live in Florida, and have acres to build a pond so I know I can provide for one fully once the pond is built. Which is what I'm waiting for before acquiring one.

hi Clint,I have a 23 yro RES,a 2 yro mud turtle,a 9 yro sulcata and a 1 year old redfoot tortoise,I had the pleasure of saving a big Florida softshell the other day,i live in the tampa bay area,I hope she wasn't gravid cause I accidentally dropped her in the grass when she reached around to snap,or it could have been a male,I know the rule of thumb on most turtles & tortoises is long tail,it's a male,short tail,it's a female,and its tail was medium sized..not long,but not short🤷‍♀️I have a friend who sleeps with his snappers,it's the wild ones that are defensive,Mata mata's are just so cool,I don't know if you have heard of or know Chris & Casey Leone at garden State tortoise,they have a Mata Mata..forgot it's name,I love,I mean really love all turtles,tortoises,terrrapins,sea turtles,box turtles,I really love when my red ear is at one end of her pond and she See's me and comes swimming over to say hi..NOT REALLY,I KNOW SHE WANTS FOOOD😂😂😂,also love when my sulcata sees me and comes running over..yes running😂ya I know he's just looking for a treat too,but I dearly love my shell angels❤❤❤❤❤🐢🐢🐢🐢

I was so happy to see this video on the Mata Mata as I saw one at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. Thanks Clint!

Terrapins have really cool shells too

I am absolutely floored that any natural body of water (outside of crazy soda lakes or something), especially a flowing body of water, can have a pH as extreme as 3 as the animal caretaker in the video noted. I did a brief google search, and it seems like it's the truth. The real world really is stranger than fiction sometimes.

I got to see a Mata Mata feeding at my local zoo! It was so cool. Such an interesting creature. Their faces always make me laugh.

Bro had so much fun he turned into a child on that new desk

The sponsor segment is gold dude, watch out!, you are becoming an expert RU-vidr

I feel like they sponsored Clint just because they know he'd be crazy enough to actually ride on a desk lol.

Escape artists!!! (Like many turtles). Former lead keeper of Herpetology at Zoo Atlanta..the stories I could tell.

Anytime you get to use the word "spectacular " when describing something, that's a good "thing"! 😂😂❤ congratulations on your new desk!

It's a Turtonator, it's a gen 7 Pokémon that's an absolute tank. I had to put work into hunting one down in that game but it was more than worth it

The Fort Worth Zoo had one who lasted a bunch of years in the 80s into the 90s.

For the pH, that's sort of what I thought Given the way they look they obviously come from tannin-filled swamps and jungle rivers full of decaying leaf litter and fallen branches, creating a very soft and acidic water chemistry But I figured that like most freshwater animals, they can also handle a neutral and even slightly alkaline pH (7-8), with maintaining stable conditions being more important than shooting for a specific number This is often the case with freshwater fish, especially those that are captive bred, but freshwater animals in general tend to be hardier than saltwater because they're used to conditions fluctuating (sorry about the big comment for a small detail, just felt like sharing Simply put, maintaining pH isn't really all that important, the big concern is nitrates and ammonia to make sure the water quality is good and they aren't being poisoned by their own waste, especially for wild caught species as they're used to the pristine conditions found in nature)

I love these videos that explain how some great zoo animals aren't great pets. But hey you can go to zoo and to see them!!!

I already know this is going to be the BEST video I watch on RU-vid today!

I'm surprised you haven't covered Soft-Shelled Turtles yet. Looking forward to when that video comes out.

It's a good thing you mention it is a turtle because the thumbnail had me playing guess the phylum.

I think Mata Mata like you! i like em slick, with something funky i like em round, with something honky 🎵🎵

Just this week I was looking for Clint's Mata Mata video. Here it is.

You even make a desk look fun lolol 😂 I have a crank version of a standing desk, it's essential when one is disabled and needs to change positions a lot

On this one Clint was like "Oh the sponsor wants 2 minutes? Can't I do longer?"

Ngl ive been waiting for you to give some take on this one Because i wanted to keep one soooo bad, but its kinda pricy and idk if it worth it