Gulf snapping turtle

Gulf snapping turtle
Elseya lavarackorum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Elseya
Subgenus: Pelocomastes
Species:
E. lavarackorum
Binomial name
Elseya lavarackorum
(White & Archer, 1994)[1]
Synonyms[2]

See text

The Gulf snapping turtle or Lavaracks' turtle (Elseya lavarackorum) is a large species of freshwater turtle in the sidenecked family Chelidae.[3] The species is endemic to northern Australia in northwest Queensland and northeast Northern Territory.[4] The species, similar to other members of the Australian snapping turtles in genus Elseya, only comes ashore to lay eggs and bask.[5] The Gulf snapping turtle is a herbivore and primarily consumes Pandanus and figs.[6]

  1. ^ White A, Archer M (1994). "Emydura lavarackorum, a new Pleistocene turtle (Pleurodira: Chelidae) from fluviatile deposits at Riversleigh, Northwestern Queensland". Records of the South Australian Museum. 27: 159–167.
  2. ^ Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 329. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ^ Georges A, Thomson S (2010). "Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species". Zootaxa 2496: 1–37.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference TW&G97 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cann J (1998). Australian Freshwater Turtles. Singapore: Beaumont. 292 pp. ISBN 978-9810406868.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TSNT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).