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S4.E8 Bum breathers - the Johnstone River snapping turtle
Manage episode 347095155 series 2813604
Innhold levert av James Donaldson, Wet Tropics Waterways, James Donaldson, and Wet Tropics Waterways. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av James Donaldson, Wet Tropics Waterways, James Donaldson, and Wet Tropics Waterways eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.
Despite its name, the Johnstone River snapping turtle is no snappier than any other freshwater turtle – and is perhaps better known by its alias, the ‘bum breather’. According to turtle expert Alistair Freeman, this ability for cloacal respiration is thought to enable bum breathers to stay under water for prolonged periods to avoid predation, although this is still only theory.
Robust and adaptable, the Johnstone River snapping turtle is an important contributor to keeping its freshwater ecosystem healthy, thanks to its enthusiastic consumption of detritus and dead things! When it’s not hoovering up these tasty morsels, it enjoys hanging out in areas of river with deep pools and riffles, and healthy riparian vegetation.
Alistair is a Senior Technical Officer for the Queensland Government’s Aquatic Species Program and joins us to share his expertise and insights into the quirky Johnstone River snapping turtle.
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