Facts about Pig-nosed Turtles
The Pig-nosed Turtle has quite a few common names such as: the Australasian Hog-nosed Turtle, Pitted-shelled Turtle, Plateless Turtle or Fly River Turtle. It is a living fossil, being the only living member of the family Carettochelyidae, and the only known species in the subfamily Carettochelyinae and the genus Carettochelys. Female Pig-nosed turtles lay their eggs late in the dry season on sandy river banks. When the offspring is fully developed, they will stay inside the eggs in hibernation, and not hatch before the eggs have been flooded with water, which means the rainy season has started and offers the hatchlings a best possible start in life. It is a species of soft-shelled turtle. The Pig-nosed Turtle is unlike any other species of freshwater turtle in the world, and the one that is best adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, with the exception of marine turtles. Their feet are flippers, resembling those of marine turtles. The nose of this turtle looks like that of a pig, having the nostrils at the end of a fleshy snout, hence the common name. Their carapace is typically grey or olive in colour, with a leathery texture, while the plastron is cream-coloured. Males can be distinguished from females by their longer and narrower tails. Their brittle-shelled eggs are 1.5–2.1 in (38–53 mm) in diameter, and 1.1–1.6 oz (32–46 g) in mass. Their clutch sizes range from 7 to 39 eggs. Pig-nosed Turtles can grow to about 70 cm shell-length. The species is omnivorous, eating a wide variety of plant and animal matter, including the fruit and leaves of the fig as well as crustaceans, molluscs and insects. Females do not reach maturity until at least 25 years old. They can weigh upto 22.5 kg. The Pog-nosed Turtle is native to freshwater streams, lagoons and rivers of the Northern Territory of Australia and of southern New Guinea. |
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