Elusor macrurus (lat.) Is a species of endangered short-necked turtles that lives in the Mary River , which flows through southeastern Queensland in Australia . In this country in the 1960s and 1970s, they were popular pets. During the ten-year period, about 15,000 individuals were sent to the stores each year. They were originally known as “Penny Turtle” [1] and “Pet Shop Turtle”. Cubs have a straight carapax 2-3.5 cm long.
| Elusor macrurus |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| Family: | Snake-eared turtles |
| Rod: | Elusor Cann & Legl, 1994 |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Elusor macrurus Cann & Legler , 1994 |
| Security status |
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Endangered speciesIUCN 3.1 Endangered : 7664 |
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Elusor is a monotypic genus representing a very ancient genealogy of turtles that have completely disappeared from the evolutionary history of Australia. The surviving species is one of the largest turtles in this country. Individuals with a shell length of more than 50 cm were recorded, although it usually does not exceed 37.8–40 cm. Adult turtles of the Mary River have an elongated, streamlined shell that can be simple in color and can have a beautiful pattern. The overall color can vary from rust red to brown and almost black. Plastron color varies from cream to light pink. The color of the skin is close to the color of the shell and often has an orange-pink spot on the tail and limbs. The iris is usually light blue. The turtles of the Mary River are able to absorb oxygen through the cloaca while under water, however, they regularly rise to the surface to breathe air in the usual manner.
A unique feature of the male turtles of the Mary River is the tail, which can be two-thirds the length of the shell, and this is the longest tail among all species of turtles. Another unique feature is the extremely long antennae under the lower jaw. The Mary River Turtle is proportionally the smallest head and the largest hind paw among all species of turtles within the pool, which contributes to the fact that this species is the fastest swimmer-turtle in the pool.
This species is sometimes informally also called the green-haired turtle (the green haired turtle) due to the fact that many specimens are covered with live growing filamentous algae that resemble developing hair in water [2] .
The species is the second in conservation status among freshwater turtles in Australia after the marsh toad turtle ( lat. Pseudemydura umbrina ) living in western Australia. The turtles of the river Mary are also listed in the list of the 25 species of turtles most threatened with extinction.
AFTCRA, the first Australian nonprofit reptile conservation organization, became the first organization to breed turtles of the Mary River in captivity. The first offspring was released into the wild in 2007.
