These turtles have very long necks.
They live in warm places. They eat fish for food. When they are scared, they tuck their heads to the side. They are very cool to see!
Do you like turtles?
Some turtles have very long necks.
They live in places like Australia. They also live on islands. These turtles eat fish.
When they are scared, they hide their heads. They tuck them to the side of their body. This helps them stay safe. They have shells that are shaped like ovals. These turtles are very special to see!
Snake-necked turtles are a group of special turtles.
They live in Australia and New Guinea. They also live on Rote Island and East Timor. These turtles have very long necks. They also have long, flat heads.
They are side-necked turtles. This means they tuck their heads to the side. They do this when they feel scared. This helps them hide inside their shells. Most of these turtles are small or medium. They have shells shaped like ovals. Some are much larger. The giant snake-necked turtle is a big one.
These turtles love to eat fish. They use a special way to catch them. They strike quickly to grab their food. We also know about turtles from a long time ago. Scientists found fossils of these turtles in Queensland. One kind lived during the Eocene period. That was a very long time ago. Other fossils show they lived in the Northern Territory too.
Snake-necked turtles belong to a group called Chelodina.
These turtles are found in many places. They live in Australia and New Guinea. You can also find them on Rote Island and East Timor.
They are an ancient group of turtles. They have very special bodies for their homes. These turtles have oval-shaped shells called carapaces. Most of them are small or medium in size. However, some can grow quite large.
These turtles have a very unique way of moving. They are side-necked turtles. This means they do not pull their heads straight back. Instead, they tuck their heads around the side of their body.
This helps them stay safe if they feel threatened. They also have very long necks and flat heads. This helps them eat their favorite food. They are specialist fish eaters. They use a method called strike and gape feeding. This means they strike quickly to grab fish in their mouths.
Scientists have spent a long time studying these turtles. They have worked hard to name them correctly. The name Chelodina was given by Fitzinger in 1826.
Other names like Hydraspis were used in the past. The group has many different parts called subgenera. One part is called Chelydera. Scientists Thomson and Georges described this part in 2020.
There is also a small group called Macrochelodina. This group has only one member. It is the oblong turtle from Western Australia.
There are many different species of these turtles. The Eastern long-necked turtle is one example.
Another is the Cann's snake-necked turtle. The largest one is the giant snake-necked turtle, or Chelodina expansa. This turtle can reach a large shell length.
We also know about turtles from the ancient past. Fossils of Chelodina alanrixi were found in Queensland. These fossils come from the Eocene period.
Other fossils like Chelodina insculpta were found in Darling Downs. These lived during the Pliocene or Pleistocene times.
Learning about these turtles helps us see how life changes. We can see how they lived a long time ago through fossils.
Even the names of the turtles tell a story. Scientists like Gray and Shaw named many of them. Gray named the oblong turtle in 1841. Shaw named the longicollis species in 1794.
These names help researchers talk about the same animals. By studying them, we learn how animals adapt to their homes. It is like reading a history book written by nature.
The genus *Chelodina* contains a diverse group of animals known as snake-necked turtles.
These turtles belong to the family Chelidae. They are native to several specific regions. You can find them in Australia and New Guinea. They also live on the Indonesian Rote Island and East Timor. These turtles are considered an ancient group of chelid turtles. They play an important role in their freshwater ecosystems.
Snake-necked turtles have very specific physical adaptations for survival. They are classified as side-necked turtles. This means they do not pull their heads directly backward into their shells. Instead, they tuck their heads partially around the side of their bodies when threatened.
They also possess extremely long necks and long, flattened heads. These features support a specialized way of eating. They are specialist fish eaters that use a strike and gape mode of feeding. This process involves striking quickly to capture prey with their mouths.
Scientists divide the genus *Chelodina* into different subgenera. The first subgenus is simply called *Chelodina*. The type species for this group is *Chelodina longicollis*, which was named by Shaw in 1794.
A second subgenus is *Chelydera*. This group includes the thick-necked snake-necked turtles. Thomson and Georges described this subgenus in 2020.
The type species for *Chelydera* is *Chelodina parkeri*. A third subgenus is *Macrochelodina*. This is a monotypic subgenus, meaning it contains only one member.
That single member is the enigmatic *Chelodina oblonga* from Western Australia.
The history of naming these turtles is quite complex. This is known as a complicated nomenclatural history. In the past, researchers thought *Macrochelodina* and *Macrodiremys* were separate genera. Before that, they thought all these turtles belonged to the same group. Today, these are considered subgenera of *Chelodina*. Scientists have used many different names over the years. Some synonymous names include *Hydraspis* and *Hesperochelodina*. Current taxonomy follows the work of Georges and Thomson from 2010. It also includes updates from van Dijk in 2014 and Shea in 2020.
There are many different species within these groups. Some turtles are small to medium-sized with oval-shaped carapaces.
Others are much larger. For example, the giant snake-necked turtle, *Chelodina expansa*, is a very large species.
It can reach significant shell lengths. Other notable species include *Chelodina canni* and *Chelodina gunaleni*.
The species *Chelodina steindachneri* is another example of the variety found in this genus.
We can also learn about these turtles through the fossil record. This shows us how they lived in the ancient past. The fossil *Chelodina alanrixi* was found in Queensland, Australia.
It dates back to the Eocene period. Another extinct species is *Chelodina insculpta*. This species was found in the Darling Downs of Queensland. It lived during the Pliocene to Pleistocene periods. There is also *Chelodina murrayi*. This species was found in the Waite Formation near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
Studying *Chelodina* helps scientists understand biological evolution and taxonomy. By looking at how names change, researchers learn how to organize life. The way these turtles eat shows how animals adapt to specific food sources. Their long necks are a perfect example of physical adaptation. Understanding these connections helps us see the broader patterns of life on Earth. It connects the study of ancient fossils to the living animals we see today.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (12)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.