Reptile Facts

1. Arounnd 23 species of freshwater turtles occur in Australia, worldwide there are 210 living species.
2. The form of sea turtles has changed very little in the past 100 million years.
3. A turtles upper shell is called the "carapace" The lower shell is called the "plastron".
4. The shell is the primary defence for a turtle, but some species of turtle have glands in the groin and sometimes in the armpits. These release an unpleasant smell to deter predators.
5. In time of drougt, frreshwater turtles may trek overland to find new water or bury themselves and wait for rainfall.
6. A sea turtle rows itself with the front flippers and steers with the rear flippers.
7. A male sea turtle has claws on its front flippers for gripping the female during mating.
8. Hatchling sea turtles usually emerge at night, light atrracts them, delaying their rush to the ocean and making them more vunerable to predators, this is known as "light disorientation".
9. Soon after hatching, tiny turtles drift with the ocean currents, feeding on minute sea animals. They are rarely seen again until their shell is 35-40 cm, which may be 5-10 years after hatching.
10. The flatback turtle forages off the continental shelf and is only found in australian waters.
11. The Leatherback is the worlds largest turtle. it can grow up to 2 metres in length and up to 960 kilograms.
12. Sea turtles dont breed until they are between 30-50 years old, a green sea turtle may be 48 years old before it breeds for the first time.
13. The saw-shelled Turtle is one of the few animals seen to eat cane toads with no ill effects.