Description:
The Saw-shelled Turtle (Myuchelys latisternum) is a small to medium-sized short-necked turtle (maximum recorded carapace length to 287 mm in females, 224 mm in males).
It has a carapace which is mainly brown to dark brown, commonly with some dark blotches.
The plastron (underside) is yellowish.
The head is large with a projecting snout.
The Saw-shelled Turtle is endemic to northern and eastern Australia.
Like many other aquatic turtles, the Saw-shelled Turtle has the ability to breathe through its 'bottom"!
These turtles circulate water in and out of their cloaca where thousands of tiny blood-rich projections absorb oxygen - in a similar manner to fish gills.
This ability allows the Saw-shelled Turtle to remain under water for prolonged periods of time.
First 4 photos: Granite Gorge Nature Park, Queensland, Australia, 1 November 2022
Last photo: Lake Eacham, Crater Lakes National Park, Queensland, Australia, 1 November 2022