Irwin's turtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Irwin's turtle |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Elseya
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| Species: |
irwini
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The Irwin's turtle (Elseya irwini) is a special kind of freshwater turtle. It is quite rare and lives only in Australia. You can find it mainly in the lower parts of the Burdekin River. It belongs to a group of turtles called Chelidae.
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How This Turtle Was Discovered
The Irwin's turtle was first seen by famous wildlife expert Steve Irwin and his dad, Bob Irwin. This happened in 1990 while they were on a trip to catch crocodiles on the Burdekin River. They noticed a turtle they had never seen before. Steve took photos and sent them to a turtle expert named John Cann. John Cann confirmed it was a brand new species! Because of their discovery, the turtle was named after Steve and Bob Irwin.
What Irwin's Turtles Look Like
Female Irwin's turtles have a light-colored head. They also have a yellowish, hard covering on the top of their head. Their pale color comes from a lack of certain pigments in their body. These turtles are known for having a very strong skull. A narrow muscle helps support their skull, protecting it and allowing their jaws to work normally.
How Irwin's Turtles Breathe Underwater
Like some other turtles, the Irwin's turtle can breathe underwater. It does this by taking water into a special area called its cloaca. The cloaca is a body opening at the end of its digestive system. Inside, it has parts that work like gills. These gill-like parts allow the turtle to take in oxygen from the water. Without this special ability, the Irwin's turtle could not stay underwater for very long. This means Irwin's turtles need to live in water that has lots of oxygen. If the water has low oxygen levels or is full of pollution, the turtle has a much lower chance of surviving.
Threats to Irwin's Turtle
The places where Irwin's turtles live have been affected by human activities. For example, building the Burdekin Dam has made the water quality in the Burdekin River worse. Poor water quality makes it hard for these turtles to live and have babies. There are also plans to build another dam, the Urannah Dam. This would cause even more problems for the turtles and shrink their habitat even further.
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