New Guinea snake-necked turtle
New Guinea snake-necked turtle | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Pleurodira |
Family: | Chelidae |
Subfamily: | Chelodininae |
Genus: | Chelodina |
Subgenus: | Chelodina |
Species: | C. novaeguineae |
Binomial name | |
Chelodina novaeguineae Boulenger , 1888[1] | |
Synonyms[2][3] | |
|
The New Guinea snake-necked turtle (Chelodina novaeguineae) is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family. It is found in northeastern Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Habitat
Small and large freshwater bodies of water, jungle rivers with ample vegetation.
Characteristics
Carapace dark brown, almost black, but shows some variation from "normal" turtle patterns. The plastron is a light brown, tan color. Long neck and (including head) can sometimes exceed the length of the carapace. Skin mostly gray, has a black head and white on under parts of the skin.
Behavior
When resting, this turtle twists its long neck off to the side for protection. The highly flexible neck permits foraging in mud as well as snorkeling. It also allows the turtle to strike quickly to capture prey.
Reproduction
The snake-neck turtle is oviparous. 17-21 eggs are laid and incubation lasts 75–110 days depending on temperature.
References
- ↑ Boulenger, G.A. 1888. On the chelydoid chelonians of New Guinea. Annals Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Genova. (2)6:449-452
- ↑ Peter Paul van Dijk, John B. Iverson, H. Bradley Shaffer, Roger Bour, and Anders G.J. Rhodin. 2012. Turtles of the World, 2012 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5, pp. 000.243–000.328.
- ↑ Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1–37.
- Asian Turtle Trade Working Group 2000. Chelodina novaeguineae. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.
- www.hoglezoo.org/meet_our_animals/animal_finder/New_Guinea_Snake_neck_Turtle
External links
Wikispecies has information related to: Chelodina novaeguineae |
Turtles portal |
|