Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Emydura
Species: E. subglobosa
Binomial name: Emydura subglobosa
Common names: Red-bellied short-necked turtle, Pink-bellied side-necked turtle, Jardine River turtle, Painted terrapin
Emydura subglobosa a native short-necked turtle that lives in rivers, swamps, and ponds of coastal Australia and Papua New Guinea.
In New Zealand, Emydura subglobosa are kept as pets.
Emydura subglobosa have an olive-coloured head with a yellow-cream stripe running from the nostrils to behind the eyes. There are two yellow whiskers (barbels) on the chin which is used for foraging for live prey along the bottom of streams and ponds. Their favourite foods are crustaceans, molluscs, fish, and aquatic insects.
This active, aquatic turtle reaches up to 25 cm in shell length.
The colouration of hatchlings and juveniles plastron (underside) is a stunningly red or orange. These vibrant colours fade as they age, and the plastron becomes a creamy colour with patches of white. The carapace is black/brown and the skin is brown/black in colour.
This photo of a hatchling showing its stunningly red/orange plastron (underside)
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
