Eastern Snake-necked Turtle

Chelodina longicollis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The eastern snake-necked turtle has a neck almost as long as its shell, which it folds sideways instead of pulling it in. It uses that neck like a whip: it throws it forward to catch fish and tadpoles with an explosive movement. When its pool dries up, it travels considerable distances overland looking for another.

Weight

500 g – 1.5 kg

Size

20 cm – 28 cm

Lifespan

40 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterGrasslandCarnivore Diurnal Solitary Reptile Freshwater Grassland

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Fun facts

Its neck is almost as long as its shell and it shoots it forward like a whip to catch prey, with a movement so fast that it is invisible to the naked eye.
When its temporary pool dries up it sets out on overland migrations of several kilometres in search of another, and those mass movements after the rains are a spectacle in some parts of Australia.
It is an important predator of tadpoles, and in the Australian pools invaded by the cane toad many die poisoned when they try to eat its larvae.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton with a shell (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Temporary pools, lagoons, wetlands and slow rivers of south-eastern Australia
Sexual maturity: 8 years
Gestation / incubation: 120 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 12 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelodina_longicollis