The eastern long-necked turtle (''Chelodina longicollis'')
[Kennett, R., Roe, J., Hodges, K., and Georges, A. 2009. ''Chelodina longicollis'' (Shaw 1784) – eastern long-necked turtle, common long-necked turtle, common snake-necked turtle. ''In'': Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. ''Chelonian Research Monographs'' No. 5, pp. 031.1–031.8, ] is an east Australian species of
snake-necked turtle
Chelidae is one of three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira, and are commonly called Austro-South American side-neck turtles. The family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia, and throughout most of South Amer ...
that inhabits a wide variety of water bodies and is an opportunistic feeder.
It is a side-necked turtle (
Pleurodira), meaning that it bends its head sideways into its shell rather than pulling it directly back.
Distribution
The species is found throughout south eastern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
where it is found west of
Adelaide (
South Australia) eastwards throughout
Victoria, Northern Territory and
New South Wales, and northwards to the
Fitzroy River Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
of
Queensland. Where these turtles come in contact with ''
Chelodina canni
''Chelodina canni'', also known commonly as Cann's snake-necked turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to Australia, where it is found in the northern and northeastern parts of the continent. McCord W, T ...
'' they freely
hybridise, exhibiting hybrid vigor in the
Styx River Drainage of Queensland.
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]
Description
The
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
is generally black in color, though some may be brown. It is broad and flattened with a deep medial groove. The scutes are edged in black in those individuals with a lighter background color.
The
plastron is also very broad and is cream to yellow in color with sutures edged in black.
The neck is long and narrow, typical of the subgenus ''Chelodina'', and reaches a length of approximately 60% of the carapace length. The neck has numerous small pointed tubercles and is grey to black in color dorsally, cream below, as is the narrow head.
Females tend to grow to larger sizes and have deeper bodies. The maximum sizes recorded for females and males varies throughout the range, in river environments of the Murray it is and respectively, whereas in the Latrobe Valley it is and respectively.
It is thought this is linked to productivity of the local environment.
When it feels threatened, this turtle will emit an offensive smelling fluid from its
musk gland
Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...
s. This trait gives the turtle one of its other common names, "stinker".
[
]
The eastern long-necked turtle is carnivorous, eating a variety of animals. This includes
insects,
worms,
tadpoles,
frogs, small
fish,
crustaceans, and
molluscs.
Reproduction
In early summer, the female will lay between two and ten eggs in the banks of her aquatic habitat. Three to five months later the hatchlings break out of their shells. These young turtles often fall prey to predators such as fish and birds. Females will lay one to three clutches of eggs per year.
Gallery
File:australsnturtle2.jpg, At the Washington National Zoo
File:Common snakeneck turtle (Chelodina longicollis) 1.jpg, Neck bent back into its shell
File:Eastern long neck tortoise - chelodina longicollis03.jpg, In an aquarium
File:Eastern Long-neck-Turtle-with-algae,-Vic,-3.1.2008.jpg, Covered in algae, Victoria, Australia
File:Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle.jpg, Peering from its shell, Carnarvon National Park, Queensland, Australia
References
{{Taxonbar , from=Q221080
Turtles of Australia
Chelodina
Reptiles described in 1794