Fitzroy River Turtle - Biology

Biology

One personal observation that we have made is that the Fitzroy River turtle has an acute sense of smell comparable to that of the Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta). When dropping insects into their enclosure it is only a matter of seconds before they begin to sniff out their favourite food. On many occasions we have remarked that the hatchlings are “dog-like” because of their keen sense of smell and distinguishable black nose.

We have never observed this species to come to the water surface to breathe air in the wild or in our collection of adults and hatchlings. This is not to say that they won’t surface for air if required. Another interesting observation is that we have never witnessed them actively swimming as they prefer to scurry along the bottom and climb obstacles to get to where they are going. On many occasions we have watched hatchling Fitzroy River turtles cling on to each other in small groups, some with their cloacae pointed upright. With closer observation we noted that these hatchlings pump water through their cloacae at a rate of up to 60 times per minute and with enough force to break the water surface immediately above. It was not uncommon when removing them from their aquarium to pick one up and find that it was clinging onto others, lifting them too from the water. In some instances the chain of turtles numbered up to six and had to be separated one by one.