Irwin's turtle

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Irwin's turtle
Irwin's turtle (2261030419).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Elseya
Subgenus: Pelocomastes
Species:
E. irwini
Binomial name
Elseya irwini
Cann, 1997 [1]

Irwin's turtle (Elseya irwini) is a rare species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to Australia, originating from the lower region of the Burdekin River area in northern Queensland, and was named after conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin.

Contents

Discovery and etymology

Steve Irwin Steve Irwin.jpg
Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin and his father, naturalist Bob Irwin, caught a female specimen of E. irwini on a crocodile-catching trip on the Burdekin River in 1990, on a fishing line. [2] Steve Irwin took pictures and sent them to turtle expert John Cann, who verified that it was indeed a new species. [3] The new species was named after Steve Irwin. [lower-alpha 1] [1] [2] [4] [5]

Description

The female of the species E. irwini has a pale head with a yellowish horny sheath on the crown. [6] The pale colour present in the female of this species is due to a lack of multiple pigments which affect essentially all parts of the body. [7] These individuals are known for their sturdy skull, which is supported by a narrow muscle called the pterygoid, creating a shielding for the skull and providing normal jaw functions. [8]

Burdekin River (1887) Burdekin River, Charters Towers, 1887.jpg
Burdekin River (1887)

Subspecies

Respiration

E. irwini, like some other turtles, [9] can breathe underwater by taking water into its cloaca.[ citation needed ] The cloaca is a cavity at the end of the digestive tract containing a chamber with gill-like structures which allow for the diffusion of oxygen. [10] Without this structure, this species of turtle would not be able to stay under water for long periods of time. Irwin's turtle needs to live in a source of water that is plentiful with oxygen. If the water has low oxygen levels or is filled with contaminants, the turtle has a lower chance of survival.[ citation needed ]

Threats

The habitat of the Irwin's turtle has been impacted by the construction of the Burdekin Dam, which has caused a decline in water quality of the Burdekin River, which makes it hard for this species to survive and reproduce. Plans for the construction of Urannah Dam have been opposed, as this would cause further impacts and habitat contraction. [11]

Habitat and conservation status

E. irwini has been plentiful in Broken River and Bowen Creek. It had not been observed in the Lower Burdekin River in the 20 years preceding May 2022, until its presence was officially confirmed by researchers from James Cook University led by Cecilia Villacorta Rath. [4]

The species has not been listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) owing to lack of data on the species. [4] [12]

In 2023, Steve Irwin's son, conservationist and television personality Robert Irwin announced the first breeding of the turtle for zoological purposes at the Australia Zoo. [13]

See also

Footnotes

  1. Note that some sources state that it was named after Bob, or both Steve and Bob, but John Cann's original 1997 paper says Steve, [1] and a 2006 Sydney Morning Herald article quoting him confirms this. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelidae</span> Family of turtles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern long-necked turtle</span> Species of turtle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary River turtle</span> Species of turtle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern snake-necked turtle</span> Species of turtle

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The Namoi River snapping turtle, also commonly known as Bell's turtle, the Namoi River elseya, or Bell's saw-shelled turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to New South Wales, Australia.

<i>Elseya</i> Genus of turtles

Elseya is a genus of large side-necked turtles, commonly known as Australian snapping turtles, in the family Chelidae. Species in the genus Elseya are found in river systems in northern and northeastern Australia and throughout the river systems of New Guinea. They are identified by the presence of alveolar ridges on the triturating surfaces of the mouth and the presence of a complex bridge strut.

<i>Elseya branderhorsti</i> Species of New Guinea turtle

Elseya branderhorsti, also known commonly as Branderhorst's turtle and Branderhorst's snapping turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to southern New Guinea, in West Papua Indonesia and Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Until recently it has been a confusing species due to its lost holotype and its sympatry with another, undescribed, species. E. branderhorsti is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN RedList in part due to its vulnerability to the Asian turtle trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellinger River snapping turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Bellinger River turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is of moderate size, with a straight-line carapace length to 240 mm (9.4 in) in females, and 185 mm (7.3 in) in males. It is endemic to Australia with a highly restricted distribution to the small coastal drainage of the Bellinger River in New South Wales. In the past the species was considered locally abundant. The species' preferred habitat is the deeper pools of the clear-water upstream reaches of the river, where water flows continuously in most months over a bedrock basement and a stream bed of boulders, pebbles, and gravel. A captive breeding program has been under way since a 2015 virus outbreak came close to wiping out the entire species. Most remaining individuals are currently housed in quarantine, though a small number have been reintroduced to the original habitat.

<i>Emydura</i> Genus of turtles

Emydura, the Australian short-necked turtles, are a genus of turtles in the family Chelidae. It was paraphyletic with Elseya. Consequently, it was split into two genera Myuchelys and Elseya by Thomson & Georges, 2009. They can grow quite large, 30 cm or more is not unusual and have a life span of around 20–30 years. They generally do not hibernate as their warmer climate lets them remain active all year round; they also spend more time in the water than other varieties. They are considered omnivore but rely on a constant supply of meat to remain healthy, feeding on basically anything that will fit into their mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-bellied short-necked turtle</span> Species of turtle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitzroy River turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Fitzroy River turtle is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. It is the only surviving member of the genus Rheodytes, the other member being the extinct form Rheodytes devisi. The species is endemic to south eastern Queensland, Australia and only found in tributaries of the Fitzroy River.

<i>Myuchelys</i> Genus of turtles

The Myuchelys is a genus of turtles, the Australian saw-shelled turtles, in the family Chelidae and subfamily Chelodininae. They inhabit the headwaters and tributaries of rivers within their range and this led to the name Myuchelys, which is formed from the Aboriginal word myuna meaning clear water and the Greek chelys meaning turtle. They have a short neck and the intergular scute completely separates the gular scutes. They have no alveolar ridge separating them from the snapping turtles of the genus Elseya.

<i>Elseya albagula</i> Species of turtle

Elseya albagula, commonly known as the white-throated snapping turtle, is one of the largest species of chelid turtles in the world, growing to about 45 cm (18 in) carapace length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saw-shelled turtle</span> Species of turtle

The saw-shelled turtle is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family endemic to Australia, ranging along rivers and streams and connected swamps and lagoons from coastal Cape York Peninsula to northern New South Wales, with populations also noted as far south as Newcastle -. They are thought to have been introduced to Lake Eacham in the Atherton Tablelands. Other common English names are: serrated snapping turtle or common sawshell turtle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf snapping turtle</span> Species of turtle

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<i>Elseya dentata</i> Species of turtle

Elseya dentata, the northern snapping turtle, is a large aquatic turtle found throughout many rivers in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is one of three species in the nominate subgenus Elseya.

<i>Elseya rhodini</i> Species of New Guinea turtle

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The Urannah Dam is a project being built by project proponent Bowen River Utilities, located 90 km (56 mi) west of Mackay in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. The dam wall will be built across the Broken River at approx 20.935°S 148.336°E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott A. Thomson</span> Australian herpetologist

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Cann, J (1997). "Irwin's Turtle, Elseya irwini sp. nov." (PDF). Monitor: Journal of the Victorian Herpetological Society. 9 (1): 36–40.
  2. 1 2 3 Shanahan, Leo; Sams, Christine (8 October 2006). "Endangered: a living legacy of Steve Irwin". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 8 May 2022. The first person to catch the irwini was Steve Irwin's father, Bob, on a fishing line during a family camping trip in 1990... Mr Cann said, "I saw the photos and jumped on the telephone because I knew it was a new species and asked Steve if I could do some work on it. He said, 'go for your life'. That's why I named it after him. I think if someone discovers something they should have a reward for it. It's a good legacy for Steve."
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Elseya irwini, p. 130).
  4. 1 2 3 Toomey, Jade (5 May 2022). "Bum-breathing Irwin's turtle resurfaces in Queensland river after 20 years, JCU researchers say". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. Australian Associated Press (5 May 2022). "Bum-breathing Irwin's turtle detected in north Queensland for first time in 25 years". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  6. Cann, John (1998). "Irwins Turtle Elseya irwini". Australian Freshwater Turtles. Singapore: Beaumont. pp. 195–198. ISBN   0-646-33978-8.
  7. Turner, Grant S. (2011). "Hypomelanism in Irwin's Turtle, Elseya irwini, from the Johnstone River, North Queensland, Australia". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 10 (2): 275–281. doi:10.2744/CCB-0851.1. ISSN   1071-8443. S2CID   84403066.
  8. Thomson, Scott; Georges, Arthur; Limpus, Colin J. (1 May 2006). "A New Species of Freshwater Turtle in the Genus Elseya (Testudines: Chelidae) from Central Coastal Queensland, Australia". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 5 (1): 74–86. doi:10.2744/1071-8443(2006)5[74:ANSOFT]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   1071-8443.
  9. Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Environment. "Rheodytes leukops – Fitzroy River Turtle, Fitzroy Tortoise, Fitzroy Turtle, White-eyed River Diver". www.environment.gov.au.
  10. "Cloaca – Definition, Function and Quiz". Biology Dictionary. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  11. Beeton, Robert (2009). "Advice to the minister for the environment, heritage and the arts from the threatened species of scientific committee" (PDF). Australia: Department of the Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
  12. Villacorta-Rath, Cecilia; Espinoza, Thomas; Cockayne, Bernie; Schaffer, Jason; Burrows, Damien (2 May 2022). "Environmental DNA analysis confirms extant populations of the cryptic Irwin's turtle within its historical range". BMC Ecology and Evolution. 22 (1): 57. doi: 10.1186/s12862-022-02009-6 . ISSN   2730-7182. PMC   9059348 . PMID   35501685.
  13. Vassell, Nicole (15 October 2023). "Steve Irwin's son Robert Irwin becomes emotional after breeding rare turtle named after late TV star". independent.co.uk. The Independent . Retrieved 18 October 2023.