Mary River turtle

Description

The turtle of the Mary River,Elusor macrurus,sole representative of the kind Elusor,is a species of turtle in the family of Chelidae.It is a short-necked aquatic turtle.The carapace of adults is 42 cm in males,34 cm in females,3-4 in newborns.Males have a long tail flattened transversely.The back is brown,rusty or black,the belly gray.The carapace has an oval depression at its center while the breastplate is almost flat two times longer than wide.The hind legs are wide which allows him to swim quickly.In the 1960s and 1970s,they were marketed as pets and they sold 15,000 a year.