6 species, see text Podocnemis is a genus of aquatic turtles, commonly known as South American river turtles, in the family Podocnemididae.

The genus consists of six extant species occurring in tropical South America.

[1] Four additional species are known only from fossils.

[1] Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Podocnemis.

The following four species are extinct, all from Neogene deposits in South America: The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) species "Podocnemis" parva Haas, 1978, based on remains from the West Bank, is now assigned to Algorachelus, as A.