HomeReptiles of Sydney Harbour Turtles

Freshwater Turtles

		Eastern Snake-necked Turtle, Chelodina longicollis. Photo: H Cogger

One species of freshwater turtle, the Eastern Snake-necked Turtle or Long-necked Tortoise, Chelodina longicollis, was probably once common in the freshwater rivers and creeks of the most Sydney Harbour tributaries. However, there are virtually no Museum specimens with precise locality information and the species past distribution in the region can only be guessed at. It is still known to occur in the upper reaches of the Lane Cove River. A second species of freshwater turtle, Emydura macquarii, has also been recorded from the Lane Cove River, but it is not clear whether this represent a naturally occurring population or a recently established population originating from escaped pets. The Eastern Snake-necked Turtle is a semi-aquatic species that is often encountered away from water during the course of overland migrations between water bodies.

Formerly all freshwater turtles were called 'tortoises'. However, the more recent convention in herpetology has been to restrict the use of the term 'tortoise' to those purely land-dwelling species, and as such Australia has no 'tortoises'. Freshwater turtles are however quite different from marine turtles, even though the two groups share a common 'group' name.

Copyright © Australian Museum, 2002