False pointed head turtle

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False pointed head turtle
Western swamp tortoise.JPG

False pointed-headed turtle ( Pseudemydura umbrina )

Systematics
Order : Turtles (Testudinata)
Subordination : Turn-Neck Turtles (Pleurodira)
Family : Snake neck turtles (Chelidae)
Subfamily : Chelodininae
Genre : Pseudemydura
Type : False pointed head turtle
Scientific name of the  genus
Pseudemydura
Siebenrock , 1901
Scientific name of the  species
Pseudemydura umbrina
Siebenrock, 1901

The western swamp turtle ( Pseudemydura umbrina ), also known as Western pond turtle ( Engl. Western Swamp Turtle ) is a short-necked freshwater turtle belonging to the family of snake neck turtles counts. It is the only species of the monotypical genus Pseudemydura .

features

The pointed head turtle is the smallest of the Australian snake necked turtles. Adult males reach a carapace length of 15.5 cm and a weight of 550 g. Females are smaller with a shell length of 13.5 cm and a weight of 410 g. Young animals after hatching have a shell length of 24 to 29 mm and weigh between 3.2 and 6.6 g.

The typical coloring of the young is gray on the upper side, the underside is light cream-colored and black. The color of the armor of adult animals is usually adapted to the color of the swamp. It is medium yellow-brown in clayey swamps and black with a maroon tone in the coffee-brown water of sandy swamps. The belly shell ( plastron ) is variable in color from yellow to brown or occasionally black. It often has black spots on a yellow background with black edges on the shields.

The carapace is not much longer than it is wide, square in outline and strongly flattened. The ventral shell is flat and wide, almost as wide as the carapace. The head is wide and flat on top there is a large shield. There are two small barbels . The short neck is covered with horn-like tubercles. The legs are short and covered with horn scales, the feet have well-developed claws .

The only other species of freshwater turtle in southwest Western Australia is Chelodina colliei , also a snake necked turtle. Their neck is the same length or longer than the carapace, so the two species of southwest Western Australia are easy to distinguish.

distribution

The pointed tip turtle is only found scattered in a very small area of ​​the Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia . The distribution area is a narrow, about 3 to 5 km wide strip roughly parallel to the Darling Range and extends from Perth Airport near Guilford to near the RAAF Base Pearce near Bullsbrook . The only viable, naturally occurring population is in the Ellen Brook Nature Reserve, while populations maintained by relocated animals are in the Twin Swamps Nature Reserve and the Mogumber Nature Reserve.

Way of life

False pointed-headed turtles are carnivores and only eat live food such as insect larvae, small crustaceans, and tadpoles . Once a year, in November to early December, the females lay three to five hard-shell eggs of about 35 × 20 mm in a nest under the ground. In contrast to other turtles that dig their nests with their hind legs, they build their nests with their front feet. The young grow slowly, reaching sexual maturity between 6.5 and 14 years. It is believed that they can live up to 60 years of age.

Taxonomy

The first specimen of the western pond turtle known to science was sent to the Vienna Museum in 1839 by Ludwig Preiss , labeled "New Holland", the historical name for Australia. It was first described in 1901 by Friedrich Siebenrock. Only in 1953 two more specimens of the species were collected and described by Glauert as Emydura inspectata in 1954 . Ernest Williams from Harvard University showed in 1958 that Emydura inspectata is just a synonym for Pseudemydura umbrina .

Danger

Several reasons are given for the decline in stocks. The range is restricted and habitat is lost to agriculture, urban development and industry including clay mining. In addition, there is hunting by foxes and other animals, bush fires, the draining of wetlands , a special way of life, low fertility and slow growth.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) classifies the species as critically endangered (CR).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Harold G. Cogger: Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia. 7th edition. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood 2014, ISBN 978-0-64310035-0 , p. 252.
  2. ^ A b c d e Andrew A. Burbidge, Gerald Kuchling: Western Swamp Tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina) Recovery Plan. Wildlife Management Program No. 37, Department of Conservation and Land Management, 2004, ISSN  0816-9713 . ( Online )
  3. ^ A b c Australian Government, Department of the Environment. Species Profile and Threats Database: Pseudemydura umbrina - Western Swamp Tortoise
  4. ^ Australian Government, Department of the Environment: Western Swamp Tortoise ( Pseudemydura umbrina ) Recovery Plan

Web links

Commons : False pointed-headed turtle ( Pseudemydura umbrina )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files