<
https://theconversation.com/saving-the-mary-river-turtle-how-the-people-of-tiaro-rallied-behind-an-iconic-species-217439>
"Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of
these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.
The Mary River turtle (
Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s largest
freshwater turtles, weighing up to 8kg. You might know it as the bum-breathing
punk turtle – it can stay underwater for days, extracting oxygen through its
cloaca, and algae growing on its head can look like a mohawk. It’s also one of
the most threatened. This species is found only in the Mary River in south-east
Queensland, which empties into the sea near K'Gari/Fraser Island.
Despite its highly restricted range, many Australians would have seen this
turtle. In the 1960s and ’70s, thousands of turtle eggs were harvested from the
banks of the Mary River and hatched in captivity. The hatchlings were sold as
“penny turtles” throughout the country.
Back then, no one knew these turtles belonged to a unique species restricted to
a single river. Neither did anyone know that their sale – often as Christmas
gifts due to their hatching time – was pushing the species towards extinction.
Intense egg harvesting, habitat changes and introduced predators such as foxes
have drastically reduced the Mary River turtle population. Breeding female
numbers fell 95% between 1970 and 2000. Even more worrisome is that the
population consists mainly of older adults. That’s often a warning sign of a
species’ imminent extinction.
However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Mary River turtle. In 2001, the
people of the Tiaro district bordering the river launched a conservation
program. A recent review of this community-led program found things seem to be
turning around for this iconic species."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
