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Emydura macquarii signata (syn. Emydura krefftii signata)
Also known as the Brisbane River Turtle, this is a short-necked turtle subspecies native to the Brisbane region, and a member of the family Chelidae (side-necked turtles). It has an olive to brown carapace which can grow up to 28cm, and a yellow stripe on the sides of its face. It's an omnivorous turtle that feeds on small crustaceans, insects, algae and aquatic plants. PS: Re: Scientific name: http://www.reptilesofaustralia.com/turtl... Also have a look at the synonyms at the Wikipedia reference link. There are four subspecies and a number of synonyms for each of these subspecies. Even local sites have conflicting or ambiguous information. So confusing!
Brisbane rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes and wetlands. Freshwater, still waters including interior drainages. This Brisbane River Turtle was spotted at the freshwater lake on the University of Queensland Campus, Brisbane.
Although I've been to UQ Lake many times and have seen many turtles, this is the first one I've ever seen out of the water. Didn't want to get too close just in case it bolted, but I got a few photos and I'm happy with that. Wish I could do the same thing with one of the lake's longfin eels. http://www.uq.edu.au/sustainability/uq-s... PS: The birds in photo #3 are a Eurasian Coot and a Pacific Black Duck.
Spotted on Jul 6, 2013
Submitted on Jul 7, 2013
2 Comments
Thanks, alina. They're pretty well camouflaged in and out of the water. This is a great spot for any self-respecting turtle :-)
it blends so well with the rock! great spotting. ))