The Pig-Nosed Turtle Is A Species Newly Recognized As Threatened In Australia, Facing Population Decline Due To Climate Change, Disease, And Water Extraction
In July, more animals were added to Australia’s national list of species threatened with extinction. Among them is the pig-nosed turtle, which lives in the catchments of the Northern Territory. The region’s condition is declining due to land clearing, water extraction, and the presence of feral animals.
Currently, 2,224 species and ecological communities are at risk of extinction—and turtles are one of the most vulnerable. The pig-nosed turtle is the last of its kind in its family. The species is found in the tropical northern rivers of Australia and the southern rivers of New Guinea.
These reptiles have a fleshy, protruding snout with nostrils. But that is not their only peculiar feature. Most freshwater turtles have paws with webbed fingers, while sea turtles have flippers with fused bones.
However, pig-nosed turtles have a combination of the two—flippers with elongated fingers. They are the only freshwater turtles with this characteristic.
Mother turtles lay their eggs in nests dug into sandbars beside the water. When the first rains of the wet season arrive, the eggs will hatch. They can grow up to 50 pounds in weight and 22 inches in length. The turtles’ diet mainly consists of fruit and wild fig leaves.
Pig-nosed turtles are culturally important. For thousands of years, they have been a part of First Nations culture, so their decline represents a cultural loss as well as an environmental one.
In the Northern Territory, pig-nosed turtle populations do not have much genetic diversity. That means they are extremely vulnerable to threats like diseases.
The biggest contributors to the threat of extinction for the pig-nosed turtles are climate change, damage to nesting by Asian water buffalo and cattle, disease, and water extraction. Climate change has altered flood patterns, which has decreased the quality of the turtles’ habitat.
Furthermore, the rising temperatures can impact pig-nosed turtle populations. Temperature during egg incubation determines if a hatchling will be male or female. If it’s too warm, all the turtles will be females.
Daniil – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual turtle
The development of Australia’s northern rivers poses particular challenges for pig-nosed turtles and freshwater turtles in general. They rely on continuous water flows to survive, even in the dry season.
It is believed that about 48 percent of all Australian freshwater turtle species meet the criteria for being at risk of extinction.
Australia has the world’s worst mammal extinction record, so conservation efforts are crucial to protect the remaining wildlife. Citizen science programs have helped turtles thrive and shown that Australians care about turtles.
All over the country, people have been rescuing turtles from roads and creating shelters for turtle eggs to protect them from predators. Although great progress has been made with these conservation programs, it can all be undone without proper legislation in place.
Australia is in need of tougher environmental laws in order to reverse the decline of pig-nosed turtles and other important species before it’s too late.
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