Australian Snake-Necked Turtle
Meet our Australian Snake-Necked Turtle with an incredibly long neck - hence the name.
You will normally find these in the Lowland regions, under cuttings of river banks and among tree roots throughout northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Their diet is made up of crustaceans, molluscs and fish with their bodies growing up to 26 cm.
When it feels threatened, this turtle will emit an offensive smelling fluid from its musk glands. This trait gives the turtle one of its other common names, "stinker."
In early summer, the female will lay between 2 and 10 eggs in the banks of her aquatic habitat. Three to five months later the hatchlings break out of their shells. These young turtles often fall prey to predators such as fish and birds. Females will lay 1 to 3 clutches of eggs per year.
Things to Do
- See how far our snake-necked turtle can stretch it's neck
- Find out what his favourite food is
- Learn how he came to stay with us here at The Scottish SEA LIFE Sanctuary
- Find out how you can help this turtle and many others