Gulf Snapping Turtle
Encyclopedia
The Gulf snapping turtle (Elseya lavarackorum) is a species of freshwater turtle
in the Chelidae
family. It is endemic to Australia
.
material from Riversleigh
in North West Queensland. It was later referred to living, though undescribed, turtles in the genus Elseya
in a paper in which the authors commented “It is Australia’s first living fossil
freshwater turtle, an extant population of a Pleistocene
taxon
”.
, or upper shell, reaches 35 centimetres (14 in) in length; it has an undulating suture between the hemeral and pectoral shields in the white plastron, or under shell. The undulating (rather than straight) suture in the plastron distinguishes it from the northern snapping turtle (Elseya dentata
).
in the Northern Territory
and Queensland
, from the Nicholson to Calvert River
systems in the Northern Territory, to the Gregory River in Queensland.
roots, with the juveniles also eating insect
larvae. Fig
s may be an important food. They are readily trapped using meat as bait. Their eggs are laid in soil near the edge of the water.
under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992, and as of Least Concern
under the Northern Territory’s Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000.
The main threats to the turtle include disturbance to nest
ing sites by feral
animals such as pig
s, habitat destruction
by grazing and watering cattle
, and potentially through changes to hydrology
, disturbance, and climate change
. They are sometimes caught in fishing nets.
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
in the Chelidae
Chelidae
The Chelidae are one of the three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira and are commonly called the Austro-South American Side Neck turtles. The Family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia and throughout most of South America. It is a large family of turtles with...
family. It is endemic to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1994, as Emydura lavarackorum, from fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
material from Riversleigh
Riversleigh
Riversleigh, in North West Queensland, is Australia's most famous fossil site. The 100 km² area has fossil remains of ancient mammals, birds and reptiles of Oligocene and Miocene age...
in North West Queensland. It was later referred to living, though undescribed, turtles in the genus Elseya
Elseya
The Australian Snapping Turtles, Elseya Gray 1867, are a large genus of side-necked turtles in the family Chelidae found in river systems in northern and north eastern Australia and throughout the river systems of New Guinea...
in a paper in which the authors commented “It is Australia’s first living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
freshwater turtle, an extant population of a Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
”.
Description
The turtle is a large, brown to dark brown, short-necked turtle. Its carapaceCarapace
A carapace is a dorsal 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 tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
, or upper shell, reaches 35 centimetres (14 in) in length; it has an undulating suture between the hemeral and pectoral shields in the white plastron, or under shell. The undulating (rather than straight) suture in the plastron distinguishes it from the northern snapping turtle (Elseya dentata
Elseya dentata
The Northern Snapping Turtle is a large aquatic species found throughout many rivers in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory....
).
Distribution and habitat
The turtle is restricted to rivers draining into the Gulf of CarpentariaGulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, from the Nicholson to Calvert River
Calvert River
The Calvert River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria 150 km east of Borroloola, not far from the border with Queensland in the Gulf Coastal bioregion. Its annual outflow is about 1000 Gl...
systems in the Northern Territory, to the Gregory River in Queensland.
Behaviour
The turtles are mainly herbivorous, eating fruits, flowers, leaves, bark and PandanusPandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
roots, with the juveniles also eating insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
larvae. Fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s may be an important food. They are readily trapped using meat as bait. Their eggs are laid in soil near the edge of the water.
Status and conservation
The turtle is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Endangered Species Protection Act 1992, as VulnerableVulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992, and as of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
under the Northern Territory’s Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000.
The main threats to the turtle include disturbance to nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
ing sites by feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
animals such as pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s, habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
by grazing and watering cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, and potentially through changes to hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
, disturbance, and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. They are sometimes caught in fishing nets.