Found mainly in the Amazon basin, with the sole exception of Erymnochelys in Madagascar. Formerly included in the Family Pelomedusidae, which are now confined to Africa and Madagascar.
The family is characterised by the presence of a mesoplastral component and absence of a cervical scute. The forelegs are equipped with 5 and the hindlegs with 4 powerful claws.
| Genus | Common Name | No. of species | Location | Notes |
| Erymnochelys | Malagasy Big-Headed Side-Necked Turtle | 1 | Madagascar | |
| Peltocephalus | Big-Headed Amazon River Turtle | 1 | Amazon basin | |
| Podocnemis | Amazon River Turtles | 6 | Amazon basin and drainages of the Orinoco River |
Turtles and Tortoises of the World, David Alderton, Blandford, London 1999.
Schildkröten, Gerhard Müller, Eugen Ullmer, Stuttgart 1995.
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