Scientists are studying the diet and lifestyle of the late
Steve Irwin's "bum breathing" turtle to help save it from
extinction.
Discovered when the late crocodile hunter and his father Bob
pulled it up on a fishing line in 1990, the turtle is found
only in the Broken-Bowen River system west of Mackay and the
lower Burdekin River.
They took photos and referred them to a turtle expert who
confirmed it as a new species, elseya irwini, after Steve's
death in September 2006.
Irwin's turtle is one of only a few species that can breathe
underwater by absorbing air from water taken in through its
cloaca.
But with only around 5000 left in the wild and proposals to
build the Uranna dam in the state's north, scientists say the
future is looking bleak for the unique reptile.
James Cook University's school of veterinary science
physiologist Dr Suzy Munns is joining forces with the
university's biomedical sciences ecologist Dr Ivan Lawler to
improve the turtle's chances of survival.
Dr Munns said they were yet to establish how widespread
cloacal breathing was, and what advantage it confers, if any.
"If we can work this out, we can determine how cloacal
respiration affects habitat choice and, in turn, show how
human influence can impact on the turtle population,
especially in the case of Irwin's turtle," she said.
"We believe that one of the major benefits of cloacal
breathing is that the amount of energy spent on having to
surface is reduced significantly simply because they can
obtain their oxygen from the surrounding water."
The pair also believe that because Irwin's turtle does not
need to use energy to surface, it can live in areas where the
food source is scarce or of very poor quality.
"This suits the turtle because it doesn't have to compete
with the neighbouring species for food," Dr Munns said.
Dr Lawler said part of the project would look at why Irwin's
turtle doesn't live down river with the Krefft River turtle
or up river with the Saw-Shelled turtle.
He said it was a mystery why different species chose to live
at different points in the river and rarely co-habit.
"Turtle species segregate in the river and we are not sure
why that occurs," he said.
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