This turtle has a green mohawk...

Green mohawk? That's just algae! Check out the snake bite piercing!

I cry. I wail. I cry some more. Oo green pompom on my cheek!

Must go, my green haired turtle planet needs me.

The Mary River turtle, Is an endangered short-necked turtle that lives in the Mary River in South-East Queensland, Australia. It is endangered. In the 1960s and 1970s, they were popular as pets in Australia and like all inappropriate pets they probably got released into the wild when they became tiresome. Speaking of tiresome, the wikipedia article for this reptile was a little frustrating but here are some highlights.

Mary River turtles are "capable of absorbing oxygen via the cloaca whilst underwater"

First, what the hell is a cloaca and second who the hell uses the word "whilst"?

Cloaca: 1) A cavity in the pelvic region of most vertebrates except higher mammals and certain invertebrates into which the alimentary canal and the genital and urinary tracts open.


Cloaca: 2) A sewer

Oh. Ok.

So apparently it breathes with the aid of an exit chute on its extremely huge tail. A Mary River turtle's tail can measure almost two-thirds of the carapace (shell, dammit wiki!) length. However, they do regularly come to the surface to breathe air in the usual way.

A full grown specimen was first seen in 1987 and was described formally by scientists only in 1994 and little is known about it. Probably because it's been blending in with the algae all this time.

Mary River Turtle could also be known as the AstroTurf Turtle.
Is that turtle? No, it's just a paddling patch of algae.
(Not pictured: a really huge tail)

It's on the top 25 most endangered turtles list.

The Mary River in Queensland exists entirely on private land and is therefore not protected completely. The main threats to this species in the wild are based in habitat degradation, and include problems such as a deterioration of water quality through riverside vegetation being cleared, water pollution through siltation, agricultural chemical contamination and water flow disruptions.

The Mary River Turtle has every reason to be emo.


Tonya said...

EmoTurtle! I love him and want one for a pet... a sad, depressed little pet.

Noelle said...


Angie said...

I am baffled by the growth of algae, but I think it's the coolest thing. It's like having a living Chia Pet.

Frimmy said...

Chia Pet! That's a good comparison. It's interesting when they're out of the water because then all that algae stops being buoyant and just collapses and looks like oozing green slime.

It really is bizarre!

Kevin J Timothy said...

Ha, ha! I just wanna give this guy a trim.

Frimmy said...

Can you imagine what he looks like out of the water? All green and slimy...yeah he needs a trim.


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