Snake-necked Turtle

Chelodina oblonga
Nyungar: yaakan

This is the main species of turtle still found in Perth wetlands and it plays an important role in healthy wetland ecology and insect control. The species survival is tenuous due to predation by ravens, foxes and domestic dogs and deaths due to road traffic around nearly all Perth wetlands. Snake-necked turtles leave the wetlands annually to lay eggs in the sandy upslope areas and not enough juvenile turtles are making it back again to reproduce. You can still see turtles leaving Bibra Lake on rainy days late in the year. The Saving our Snake-necked Turtle project started here and needs citizen scientists to help.

Photo: P. Markendale

Saving our Snake-necked Turtle Project

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Rehabilitating Roe 8 acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge that the Rehabilitating Roe 8 project area is Wadjuk country and pay respect to Elders and all Nyungar people, past, present and future. We are committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.