Snake-necked turtle seen in Little River, Denmark, for first time in 10 years

A male snake-necked turtle has been discovered in a one-day survey of the local population of the southwestern snake-necked turtle in Little River, Denmark. The area in the Little River system was a previous habitat for the species which had not been seen in the area for 10 years. The last sighting in the area 10 years ago was of three snake-necked turtles and was the reason the river system was chosen for the survey. Shire of Denmark sustainability officer Yvette Caruso said the confirmation of the continued presence of the turtles was exciting. “We’re really pleased to see this positive survey result because even with the increased urbanisation in the area, combined with fluctuating water levels of the Wilson Inlet and varying salinity, it seems as though the local population of this threatened species is persevering,” she said. “It’s a positive sign of the health of the river system’s biodiversity despite the challenge it faces.” The survey for the snake-neck turtles, conducted as part of the Save Our Snake-Necked Turtles project, by was funded by the Shire of Denmark in partnership with Murdoch University. Snake-neck turtles have been deemed near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to their declining available habitats as a result of expanding human habitation and predators like foxes and crows. Albany was visited by snake-necked turtle expert Anthony Santoro from Murdoch University in August, who held an information evening to inform attendees how they can help save local snake-necked turtles. The citizen-science application TurtleSAT allowed survey participants to engage with the latest turtle research by contributing to turtle sightings.