Species

Oblong Tortoise

Chelodina oblonga
Category: Category 3
Care Sheets:

Genus: Chelodina
Eight spp. with extremely long necks, usually as long as or longer than carapace. Forefeet each have 4 claws. Gular shields in contact in front of intergular shield. Spp. tend to cluster between 2 extremes; a group of very large turtles with disproportionately long thick necks, broad flat heads and small plastrons, and small turtles with slender necks, smaller, deeper heads and relatively larger plastrons. Widespread in water ways of Australia mainland excluding central arid zones. Also present in NG. These carnivores feed on anything small enough to seize and swallow, such as fish, tadpoles, crustaceans, insects and carrion. They hunt by ambush, using the long neck to strike in a snake like manner while gaping the mouth to suck in prey.

Chelodina Oblonga
Long thick neck and broad, strongly depressed head. Carapace extremely narrow and oval. Dark brown to black above and paler below. Waterways from Hill R. se. to Fitzgerald R. Common in lakes of suburban Perth. Usually occurs in permanent water, but capable of aestivating under mud or migrating to nearby water during dry periods.

Necessities:

Vivarium	UVA/UVB lighting
Heat lamp	Substrate
Water heater	filter
Air pump	De-Chlorinator
Filter	Air pump
Thermostat

Oblong Tortoise Gallery

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