Gulf snapping turtle
| Gulf snapping turtle | |
|---|---|
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| Elseya lavarackorum | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 2.3)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Pleurodira |
| Family: | Chelidae |
| Subfamily: | Chelodininae |
| Genus: | Elseya |
| Subgenus: | Pelocomastes |
| Species: | E. lavarackorum |
| Binomial name | |
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Elseya lavarackorum (White & Archer, 1994) |
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| Synonyms | |
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see text |
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see text
The Gulf snapping turtle or Lavaracks' turtle (Elseya lavarackorum) is a large species of freshwater turtle in the sidenecked family Chelidae. The species is specific to northern Australia in northwest Queensland and northeast Northern Territory. The species, similar to other members of the Australian snapping turtles in genus Elseya, only comes ashore to lay eggs and bask. The Gulf snapping turtle is a herbivore and primarily consumes pandanus and figs.
The specific name, lavarackorum (genitive plural), is in honor of Australian paleontologists Jim Lavarack and Sue Lavarack who discovered the fossil remains of this species.
The species was first described in 1994 as Emydura lavarackorum after fossil material was found in Riversleigh in northwest Queensland. It was later demonstrated anatomically that because of its anterior bridge struts that it actually belonged to the genus Elseya and further to a living, although undescribed form. The species was also declared at this time to be Australia's first living fossil freshwater turtle and an extant population of a taxon. The latter gained significant public attention to this species after a story was published in Discover Magazine in January 1997. After placing this species in the correct genus, it was possible to look at the deeper phylogeny of the Elseya. This species lends its name to the group within the Elseya known as the Queensland Elseya or Elseya lavarackorum group. This is a unique group of species that includes Elseya lavarackorum along with Elseya albagula and Elseya irwini, and all three are divergent from the Elseya dentata group.
The turtle is a large, brown to dark brown, short-necked turtle. Its carapace, or upper shell, reaches 35 centimetres (14 in) in length; it has an undulating suture between the hemeral and pectoral shields in the white plastron, or under shell. The undulating (rather than straight) suture in the plastron distinguishes it from the northern snapping turtle (Elseya dentata).
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Wikipedia