Sideneck Turtle

Suborder Pleurodira

Amphibian

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing sideneck turtles. There is a great divide in the turtle order. A majority of living turtles hide their necks in their shells but sideneck turtles lay their necks alongside and tucked under their shell, hence the common name. They're also called snake necked and long necked turtles, and I'm sure you can see why! Not all sideneck turtles have snake-like necks, though. Some, like these Australian short-necked turtles, have much shorter necks.

Of the estimated 356 turtle species alive today, approximately 90 of them are sideneck turtles. If you live in the northern hemisphere, it's possible you've never seen a wild sideneck turtle. That's because sideneck turtles are almost entirely restricted to the southern hemisphere! These reptiles live throughout South America, Africa (including Madagascar), and parts of the Indo-Pacific region including Australia. In fact, they're the only native freshwater turtles found in Australia; hidden neck turtles don't naturally live there! Sideneck turtles are aquatic animals and live in streams, rivers, swamps, and more. Their eggs, however, are laid on land in nests excavated by females. In the wild, they can live decades.

Sideneck turtles range in size from five inches (12cm) to nearly three feet (91cm) long! Some have hinged shells like this African mud turtle. Some viewers may be familiar with box turtles that also come with a hinged shell, though these are “hidden neck” turtles. Other sideneck turtles don’t have a hinged shell, like this African helmeted turtle. Most species are omnivores, eating both plant and animal material. Sideneck turtle foods include fish, crabs and other crustaceans, aquatic insects, worms, aquatic vegetation, fruits, leaves, and seeds. Some authorities believe that sideneck turtles have not been as successful as their hidden neck counterparts because their method of defense leaves them more vulnerable as their neck is more exposed. Predators to sideneck turtles include other reptiles like caimans, mammals that may raid their nests, large fish, and birds of prey. Humans also threaten sideneck turtles and have pressured some species to near extinction.

Sideneck turtles are divided into three families: the Austro-South American sideneck turtles, the African mud turtles, and the American sideneck river turtles - though this last name is a bit misleading. While seven members of this family live in South America, the final species is native to Madagascar, so that common name could use an update! The Austro-South American sideneck turtles are unique because the sex of their offspring isn’t determined by temperature. As we discussed in our pond slider episode, the sex of other turtles, including other sideneck turtles, babies is determine by temperature, but in Austro-South American sideneck turtles it’s genetic! These turtles also have a unique way of eating. Where other sideneck turtles may hunt prey or opportunistically take detritus while browsing the bottom of the water column, Austro-South American side neck turtles suck up their prey like a vacuum! We discussed this more in our mata mata episode!

For more facts on sideneck turtles, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! Thank you to these viewers for today’s request! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!