Classification: Introduced Species - While the Jardine River Turtle has been seen and identified in the state of Florida (specifically the Florida Keys), there are no records of any breeding populations. Sightings of this species are most likely of released or escaped pets that were imported for the pet trade.

Description: Red-bellied short-necked turtles have olive-colored heads with a yellow-cream stripe running from the tip of the nose through the eye and into the iris. A black spot is always present in front of and behind the pupil in Emydura victoriae and variable in Emydura tanybaraga. They have a prominent upper jaw and two yellow whiskers on the chin; the same yellow coloration runs along the light-colored jaw line. The upper neck region is dark gray and the lower, light gray with red streaks running along it. This same coloration appears on the bottom jaw and belly of the turtle, although the color can vary among bright orange, yellow, or pink. The limbs, tail, plastron, and abdominal regions are all marked with red. Young red-bellied short-necked turtles generally have brighter markings that fade as they grow, with their red color turning pinkish with time. Females are larger in carapace length, but have shorter tails. Male carapaces range from 13.3 to 17.3 cm, female carapaces range from 15.2 to 25.5 cm.

Red-bellied short-necked turtles are members of the family of side-necked freshwater turtles, Chelidae. They can be characterized by how they extend and retract their necks. They lay their neck and head sideways, underneath the upper edge of the shell.

Habitat: Preferred habitat of red-bellied short-necked turtles are rivers, swamps, and ponds of Papua New Guinea and Australia. In the lower Kikori and Omati rivers they inhabit slow-moving waters, swamps, and seasonal wetlands. Like other freshwater turtles, red-bellied short-necked turtles alternate periods in the water with time basking to raise body temperature. Most of their life is spent in water, where they forage for food. If there is a water scarcity in hotter months, they move to flooded areas.

Range: Introduced into Florida, USA. Emydura subglobosa is found on islands and rivers in coastal Australia and New Guinea, such as Fraser Island, the Jardine River, Daru, Cape York, Stradbroke Islands, and the islands in Torres Strait. These turtles also occur in lowland swamps, which cover large areas of the tropical, open plains in western Papua New Guinea.

Found in these States: FL

Diet: Red-bellied short-necked turtles are omnivorous, feeding on filamentous algae, periphyton, sponges, aquatic macrophytes, aquatic macro-invertebrates, terrestrial insects that fall into the water, and carrion. These turtles also rely heavily on crushing mollusks, fish, insects, worms, aquatic plants, vegetable matter and seeds as a part of daily living (PNG Gas Project, 2005). They rely on their broad, sharp, horny jaws and front feet to tear food, their tongue serves to direct food down the gullet. Many freshwater, short-necked turtles, such as Emydura subglobosa and Chelodina species, ingest large quantities of water that contain their prey by gaping and sucking in prey in the water.

Reproduction: Emydura species mate year-round, with peaks in the spring and fall. Males of Emydura species have sperm all year in the epididymides. Females of Emydura species accumulate yolk in the ovaries in late summer through winter. During the breeding season, males communicate with females with a series of signaling postures, including a combination of simultaneous stroking, eye blinking, and head bobbing. The female may be stationary or swimming; when she stops the encounter and surfaces, the male quickly assumes a nose-to-nose position, performing nose squirts. Males and females continue bobbing their heads in alternating sequence as they align their bodies. Once this maneuver is complete the mating begins (Georges & Legler, 1993). During mating, the cloacas touch. They remain together for many hours, although copulation may only occur for a short time. This mating process may occur more than once for up to several days, and may involve multiple partners at any given time. Red-bellied short-necked turtles have scent glands in their carapace that produce odors used during competition between males during breeding season.

In red-bellied short-necked turtles, females have a large area inside their carapace to store eggs, whereas males have a larger tail. Ovulation and nesting begins in early spring. Only female turtles leave the water during the night or early morning to deposit eggs in hollow cavities constructed in sand or soil. Females lay eggs within about an hour. Emydura subglobosa, Elseya novaeguineae, and Carettochelys insculpta lay their eggs in the soil of the forest floor, often near the base of trees or in the sandy soil of freshwater swamps during the late, dry season between August and October (Georges, 2007; Georges et al., 2006). Emydura subglobosa individuals lay white, calcareous, ellipsoid eggs averaging 35.0 ±0.05 mm long and 19.0 ±0.02 mm wide. Estimated mean egg weight of eggs is 7.68 ±0.20 g. These turtles can produce two to four clutches a year, laying from four to eleven eggs each time, with an average of 7 eggs in each clutch (Georges et al., 2006). Eggs incubate and hatch the following dry season in July through August. Many factors can impact the incubation and hatching period: ambient temperatures, cloud cover, river levels and flow, tides, and the phase of the moon. High temperatures promote early hatching and cold temperatures promote later hatching times. Hatchlings make their journey to freshwater without parental guidance or protection (Georgeset al., 1993). Red-bellied short-necked turtles typically mature between 7 and 12 years old with both males and females maturing at carapace lengths of 14 to 15 cm.

Status: Red-bellied short-necked turtles are listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN. However, there may be isolated populations in arid regions throughout their range and have extended times to sexual maturity. This combination leads some to believe that a pre-emptive conservation program should be implemented.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: