There
are a few different
types of turtles
in Australia.
Different Types of Turtles in Australia
Turtles evolved during the Mesozoic Era and survived the mass
extinction of dinosaurs along with a few other Australian animals such
as crocodiles.
The hard shell (it is hard in all species except one) that protects
them against predators has certainly helped them to survive and turtles
have changed very little during the last 100 million years.
Australian Freshwater Turtles
Australian turtles are either freshwater or saltwater species, just
like crocodiles.
Australian Freshwater turtles are smaller than saltwater turtles, and
have clawed feet with strong webbing as opposed to the saltwater
species whose legs have been modified to paddle-like flippers. There
are at least 20 species of freshwater turtles in Australia, and
together they cover just about all the freshwater rivers and lakes on
mainland. They live mostly in permanent waterways and they lay their
eggs in sand or soil, on land near water. The few species that live in
temporary waters, bury themselves when the water recedes and aestivate
until the rains come along again. The best time to see the freshwater
turtles is in the middle of the day when they bask near water surface,
or climb onto rocks and logs. Good places to watch freshwater turtles
are Kakadu
National Park in Northern Territory, and in
the lakes on Fraser
Island in Queensland.
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Facts about Sea Turtles
Australian sea turtles are much larger, often more than a metre long
and as the name indicates, they returned along their evolution into the
sea. But they are still tied to coastal waters because their eggs are
laid and hatch on the land. Australian sea turtles are found in
tropical to temperate waters throughout the world. Australia’s six
species of sea turtles all live in Australia’s warmer waters and each
species tend to specialise in different diet.
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Different Types of Turtles: Pacific Ridley Turtle
The 60-75cm-long Pacific Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
is the smallest of Australian sea turtles. It lives in tropical waters
of Pacific, Indian and parts of Atlantic Ocean, and is found in
Australia’s far north – the coast of the Cape
York
Peninsula in Queensland
and the Top End in Northern
Territory. It feeds on small crabs and
shellfish. Pacific Ridley
Turtle is not very abundant in Australia (where it is protected) but
large rookeries are heavily exploited in Central America and the
species is endangered.
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Different Types of Turtles: Australian
Flatback Turtle
Australian Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus) is
Australia’s
only endemic turtle and it is found along the northern coast between Broome
in west and Brisbane
in east. Australian Flatback Turtle
is a carnivorous turtle that eats holothurians, soft corals and
jellyfish and risks to be killed by plastic bags floating in water. The
species is vulnerable.
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Different Types of Turtles: Green Turtle
The 1.5m-long Greene Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
is Australia’s most common and largest hard-shelled sea turtle. It is
also widespread in the world, and found in Australian waters along the
northern, eastern and south-eastern coasts between Shark
Bay in west and Streaky Bay on Eyre Peninsula
in south. Juveniles are carnivorous but adults eat seagrasses and
seaweeds. Green Turtle is the species most often sough for meat and
eggs.
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Different Types of Turtles: Loggerhead Sea Turtle
The large-headed Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)
is found along Australia’s northern and south-eastern coasts between
Exmouth in west and Port Lincoln on Eyre Peninsula in south, but is
most abundant in Great
Barrier Reef. Loggerhead sea turtles are
mostly carnivorous and eat molluscs, crustaceans, holothurians and jellyfish.
It is an endangered species and a
plastic bag floating in water will kill it because it will mistake it
for jellyfish.
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Different Types of Turtles: Leathery Turtle
Australia’s only leathery sea turtle, the Leathery Turtle, or Luth (Dermochelys
coriacea) is huge – up to 2.8m long and weighs up to almost
one
tonne. Being such as large animal, the Leathery Turtle
is unique among reptiles to be endothermic. This physiology enables the
Leathery Turtle to enter cold waters and dive to extraordinary depths
of more than 1100 metres. Leathery Turtle is a dietary specialist and
eats only jellyfish – which makes it particularly vulnerable for
plastic bags in the water. Its crucial rookeries are also heavily
exploited and the species is endangered. In Australia, it is found
between Rockhampton and Yorke Peninsula in the east, and between Darwin
and Perth
in west.
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Different Types of Turtles: Hawksbill Sea Turtles
Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata)
live in tropical and temperate waters around the world, and they are
found along Australian northern coasts between Exmouth in west and Eden
in east. They particularly like rocky areas and coral reef. Hawksbill
Sea Turtles
eat mainly sponges, but also molluscs, seagrasses and soft corals. The
beautiful overlapping scutes on their shell have made them popular
within the tortoiseshell industry and the species is vulnerable.
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Facts about Sea Turtles - Sea Turtle Eggs
Sea turtles have got an interesting reproductive system and they would
be hard to see close-by if it wasn’t that they have to come to land to
lay their eggs. It takes them long to mature – Loggerheads for example
have to grow 30-50 years old before they can start breeding.
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Facts about Sea Turtles - Sea Turtle Nest
A few weeks after mating during the breeding season (October –
February) female turtles, weighing more than 100kg, pull themselves
onto the beaches, dig a hole in sand and lay about 100 leathery eggs
into the hole. They cover the eggs and return to the sea, leaving the
eggs to be incubated by sun that warms the sand.
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Facts about Sea Turtles - Baby Sea Turtle
Two or three months later (depending on the amount of sunny days), tiny
baby sea turtles hatch and climb out of the nest. At the sunset they
run to the water, all at once to confuse the predators such as crabs,
gulls and frigatebirds. Even in the water they remain vulnerable for a
long time as sharks
and other predatory fish eat them.
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What Eats Turtles and How Old Do Turtles Get
And before they are born, goannas and feral pigs often dig up turtle
nests and eat the eggs. That is why 100 eggs are laid – only a few of
them will survive to maturity. If they do, they have a long life ahead
– turtles live for hundreds of years.
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Where to See Different Types of Turtles
Large turtles are some of the most amazing Australian
animals to see. Good places to watch sea
turtles are the islands of Great Barrier Reef. Sea turtles come to nest
on Heron, Curtis, Lady Elliott and Lady Musgrave islands.
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Mon Repos Beach
Mon Repos Turtle Rookery outside Bundaberg on the Fraser
Coast in Queensland
is an excellent place to get close to sea turtles. Female turtles come
to lay their eggs on the beach in every year between November and
February. The young will hatch and make their way to the water between
mid-January and March. During the season, the access to the beach is
restricted and EPA staff takes visitors to the beach to see the turtles
in action every night between 7pm and 6am.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
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