New Guinea Snake Turtle (Chelodina Novaeguineae)
Conservation status
IUCN: Red List: Least Concern
Key Descriptions
Their long neck resembles a snake, which is where they get their name from. New Guinea Snake turtles are found in north-eastern Australia, Indonesia & Papua New Guinea inhabiting freshwater locales where their dark exterior helps them blend with their dark & murky surroundings of the rivers they inhabit.
Habitat
They are largely distributed along slow moving bodies of water such as rivers where aquatic vegetation & prey is rife. They are endemic to north-eastern Australia, Indonesia & Papua New Guinea.
Social Life
They spend the majority of their time walking on the substrate of their habitat instead of swimming, preferring to ambush their prey from the mud & aquatic vegetation they lay dormant in. When resting, it twists its serpentine long neck to the side for protection instead of withdrawing it into its shell.
Fun Facts
- When resting, C. novaeguineae 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.
- The New Guinea snake-necked turtle is oviparous. 17–21 eggs are laid and incubation lasts 75–110 days depending on temperature.
Diet
Fish, & other small aquatic animals
Key Information
| Origin: | Papua New Guinea |
| Size: | Up to 36cm |
| Weight: | Up to 3kg |
| Lifespan: | Up to 30years |