Pig-nosed Turtle
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Carettochelys insculpta or the Pig-nosed Turtle
A fascinating creature to behold, the pig-nosed turtle is found only in Papua New Guinea and the Northern Territory. It was described in New Guinea about 110 years ago, but wasn't reported from Australia until about 1970. Their pig-like nose is used as a snorkel during the dry season, when rivers become small mud puddles. The pig-nosed turtle can have its body buried in the mud, with just the end of its nose exposed to breathe with. As adults, they can have a shell length of about 75 cm.
They are unique among Australian freshwater turtles for many reasons. For example, they can't pull their head into their shell sideways - they pull it straight back into the shell in the same way a sea turtle would. The pig-nosed turtle is a very aquatic species, with flippers rather than webbed feet. In the wild, pig-nosed turtles feed on fallen fruit, small fish, crustaceans, and water plants. Female pignosed turtles can lay up to 22 large eggs, which will develop fully in about 70 days. The unhatched babies will then wait until the next flood, and emerge from the nest at night.
Did you know...
- The pig-nosed is found only in Papua New Guinea and the Northern Territory. It was described in New Guinea about 110 years ago, but wasn't reported from Australia until about 1970.
- Their pig-like nose is used as a snorkel during the dry season. The pig-nosed turtle can have its body buried in the mud, with just the end of its nose exposed to breathe with.
- They are unique among Australian freshwater turtles for many reasons. For example, they can't pull their head into their shell sideways - they pull it straight back into the shell in the same way a sea turtle would.
- The pig-nosed turtle is a very aquatic species, with flippers rather than webbed feet.
Where Pig-nosed Turtles dwell in Australia:
