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Murray River Turtle
Scientific Name
Emydura macquarii
Lifespan
Wild - 20 to 30 years
Human Care - Up to 50 years
Diet
Omnivorous
Fish, Crustaceans, Invertebrates, Aquatic Plants
Our Animals
Wilbur's Wildlife is home to 4 Murray River turtles: Franklin, Jonathon, Harriet, and Turbo. All of the turtles at Wilbur's Wildlife are pets whose owners surrendered them when they could no longer care for them. With a lifespan of up to 50 years, these turtles are a lifelong commitment and require extensive ongoing care.
Franklin, Jonathon, and Harriet are estimated to be 3-4 years old, but this is an estimate as they did not come with any records from their previous owners. These turtles regularly appear in our incursions.
Turbo is 25 years old and was Cale's first pet. These days he enjoys his large pond in an outdoor aviary. He makes the occasional appearance at major events.
Short Neck Turtle Facts
Where does a Short Neck Turtle live?
The Short Neck Turtle can be found across several areas in Eastern Australia such as coastal Queensland rivers, the Cooper Creek ecosystem, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Northern Victoria and South Australia.
Their habitat is freshwater rivers and lakes.
What does a Short Neck Turtle eat?
The Short Neck Turtle is omnivorous. Their diet includes small crustaceans, molluscs, carrion and vegetable matter such as fruits and water plants.
What kind of behaviours are exhibited by a Short Neck Turtle?
Short Neck Turtles sometimes bask on logs in the water, but otherwise they rarely come out of the water, except when nesting, Nesting time is from spring to early summer.
Their eggs incubate for between 6 and 8 weeks. At hatching the young are the size of a 20c coin.
What predators hunt the Short Neck Turtle?
Adult turtles have a hard, bony shell that protects them from most native predators but can still be hunted by introduced predators such as foxes. Foxes will kill female turtles while they are outside of the water nesting.
As for hatchling turtles, from the moment they break out of their shell they face a large range of predators such as fish, birds and water rats. Only a small percentage survive to adulthood and some nests are raided by foxes, killing the mother and destroying the eggs before they have a chance to hatch.
What are some fun facts about the Short Neck Turtle?
Short Neck Turtles play a critical role in maintaining the health of our rivers. They are scavengers and eat dead fish and other animals in the water, as well as algae, which aids in keeping our rivers clean.
Short Neck Turtles are very slow-growing and do not become adults until they are 10 years old.
Much like other freshwater turtles, Short Neck Turtles have built-in goggles. Their thin, clear third eyelid covers the eye whilst underwater, allowing them to see properly.
They are also known as the Macquarie turtle.
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