''Elseya albagula'', commonly known as the white-throated snapping turtle, is one of the largest

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of chelid

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s in the world, growing to about

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 ...

length. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to south-eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

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 ...

, in the Burnett,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, and Fitzroy River drainages. This species is entirely aquatic, rarely coming ashore and is chiefly

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

, feeding on the

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s and

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...

s of

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

vegetation,

alga Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mi ...

e, and large aquatic plants. First proposed as a species by John Goode in the 1960s,Goode J. 1967. ''Freshwater tortoises of Australia and New Guinea (in the family Chelidae)''. Melbourne: Landsdowne. 155 pp. it was finally described in 2006. The species is named from the Latin ''alba'' = white and ''gula'' = throat, which is a reference to the white blotching present on the throats of adult females in the species. The type locality for the species is the Burnett River in south-eastern Queensland, but it is also found in the Mary and Fitzroy River drainages to the north of the Burnett. Some have argued for each of these rivers to represent different species, but DNA, morphological, and

morphometric Morphometrics (from Greek μορϕή ''morphe'', "shape, form", and -μετρία ''metria'', "measurement") or morphometry refers to the quantitative analysis of ''form'', a concept that encompasses size and shape. Morphometric analyses are co ...

analyses does not support this conclusion.

Etymology

The specific name, ''albagula'', is derived from the Latin adjective ''alba'' meaning white and the noun ''gula'' for throat, both of which are

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...

. Hence, the name means "white-throated" and refers to the white or cream throat commonly seen in adult females of this species.

Description

The carapace of this species is broadly oval, but is blunt at the front. In younger animals, it has keeled scutes along the back. The carapace is dark brown to black in color, smooth with no growth annuli and generally lackluster. The plastron is heavily stained in adults, appearing black over the true base color of yellow to cream. The plastron is narrow compared to the carapace. The head is large and robust with a complete head shield that does not approach the ears. The tomial sheath is large, and inside an

alveolar ridge The alveolar process () or alveolar bone is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on the jaw bones (in humans, the maxilla and the mandible). The structures are covered by gums as part of the oral cavity. The synonymous ter ...

is distinct and well formed. The head is typically dark brown to grey above and, in females, is usually blotched with cream to white in the throat region.

Biology

White-throated snapping turtles are amongst a handful of other turtle and fish species in that they can undertake

cloacal respiration Enteral respiration, also referred to as cloacal respiration or intestinal respiration, is a form of respiration in which gas exchange occurs in the posterior cavity of the enteral system. This is used in various species as an accessory respiration ...

, absorbing oxygen from the surrounding environment through their cloaca whilst submerged.

Conservation

Three major factors affect the survival of this species. The first is nest predation and nest destruction, particularly by introduced species such as foxes that dig up the nests and cattle which trample them.Hamman, M., Schauble, C.S., Limpus, D., Emerick, S.P., and Limpus, C.J. (2007). Management plan for the conservation of ''Elseya'' sp. (Burnett River) in the Burnett River Catchment. ''Environmental Protection Agency''. The second is the damming of the rivers in which they occur, with all but one of the rivers in which the species is found now dammed to some degree. This changes the temperatures within the river, affecting reproduction. It also affects the remodeling of sand banks during flood events, eventually leading to unusable nesting sites. The populations are aging, meaning that larger numbers of adults have little recruitment. The last factor is the damage to individuals as they get washed over dam walls to their deaths. As well, an application by coal seam gas company Santos to dump untreated wastewater in the Dawson River threatens a population of white-throated snapping turtles according to the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development. A number of actions have been proposed. A head start program is being supported by the Queensland government where eggs are incubated at a hatchery with the young then released and monitored. Also active nest site protection prevents predation and trampling of existing nests. "Turtleways" have been proposed in the dams to allow turtles to get by these structures without being killed by the fall over the dam wall.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar , from=Q2270551 Elseya (Pelocomastes) Reptiles described in 2006 Taxa named by Scott A. Thomson Endemic fauna of Australia Turtles of Australia