Fly River Turtle

Carettochelys insculpta

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on animal fact files we’re talking about Fly River turtles. The other common name for these turtles, and perhaps more appropriate since it relates to all individuals of the species, is pig-nosed turtle, and I’m sure you can gather why. While these turtles are found within the Fly River in Papua New Guinea, they are also found elsewhere. For a long time, Fly River turtles were believed to only occur in Papua New Guinea. In fact, they were thought to be some of the most rare turtles in the world! Towards the 1970s, however, Fly River turtles were “discovered” outside of the Fly River. Way outside of the Fly River! These turtles were found living in northern Australia, and reside there still today. Of course, the aboriginal peoples of Australia knew these turtles were living there long before they were classified as such. These people have depictions of the pig-nosed turtles which are easily discerned from any other turtle species because pig-nosed turtles are quite unique.

It would be completely fair to call a pig-nosed turtle something like a cross between a softshell turtle and a sea turtle. Like softshell turtles, pig-nosed turtles don’t have scutes along their carapace. This is a trait shared with the leatherback sea turtle, which we discussed in our sea turtle episode. Unlike softshell turtles, however, pig-nosed turtles have front flippers like a sea turtle! They can even tolerate saltwater and may be found living in estuaries, though generally they do prefer freshwater.

Pig-nosed turtles live in rivers, swamps, mangroves, lakes, waterholes, and lagoons. They like either sandy or rocky bottom areas with lots of debris to hide in. This debris can include sunken logs, leaf litter, exposed tree roots and more. These turtles also enjoy features like undercut banks under which they can seek refuge. Pig-nosed turtles aren’t small and helpless, though. These turtles average just over one and a half feet (46cm) in length and have even been known to reach two and a quarter feet (69cm) long. They weigh in at 44 pounds (20kg) on average, which is similar to a snapping turtle! The only threats to adult pig-nosed turtles include predation by crocodiles and hunting by humans. Their nests may also be trampled.

Fly River turtle nests can be found along the banks of rivers and even along some coastlines. Female Fly River turtles will emerge at night during the dry season from July to November to lay their eggs. These turtles tend to be nocturnal in nature anyway and aren’t built for much movement on land. They don’t bask like pond sliders but they are excellent swimmers thanks to their large front flippers. The ladies will often be seen in large groups to lay their eggs in nests they dig in the sand. These nests may contain anywhere from seven to 40 eggs depending on the turtle’s location. More eggs tend to be laid by more northern living Fly River turtle individuals. The eggs are covered and develop but don’t immediately hatch after development completes. The babies will remain tucked away until the nest floods with the onset of the rainy season. Often these nests will be raided for food or the pet trade, but pig-nosed turtles don’t thrive in captivity and many won’t survive.

After they hatch, the young turtles will take to the water and seek out food in the form of snails, small fish, insect larvae, shrimp, crayfish, and more. As they get older, these turtles will begin to eat more plant based foods like aquatic weeds and fruits that have fallen into the water. How old they live in the wild is currently unknown.

For more facts on Fly River Turtles, check out the links in the description. Thank you to WhishiWhooshi and Charlie for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.