Australia's 'punk turtle' risks being last of the Mohicans

This stylish reptile was once kept as a pet, now it's on the brink of disappearing. I'm sure that there are all kinds of funny comments that can be made about them, but there's nothing humorous about extinction. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll leave you some portraits of the Mary River Turtle:

SOURCE Australia’s Mary River Turtle - with its green Mohican-style hair and ability to breathe through its genitals - is one of the world’s most distinctive reptiles.

It is also now officially among the most endangered. The “punk turtle” was this week ranked 29th on the Zoological Society of London’s Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered list, triggering calls for better protection of the reptile found in a remote part of Australia’s east coast.

Once a popular pet in Australia, the exact population of the Mary River Turtle, known to biologists as Elusor macrurus, is unknown, the Zoological Society of London said. Its distinctive hairdo is actually algae that grow on its head.

Mary River Turtle Wiki: HERE

I sware it has gotten so bad now we even have turtles going punk .
Doesnt the dude know punk went out 20 years agaio ?
LOL really does look like a punker with the green alga hair do

It's a reptilian version of your avatar!

Never seen these guys before. Mother nature is mind boggling at times... A genital breathing, algae-fro sporting turtle? It epitomizes the saying "truth is often stranger than fiction". I'm still in awe and disbelief that such a critter exists.

Would definitely be a sad loss if they disappear.

Contact Peter Praschag at Turtle Island. They do conservation breeding. Some of the rarest turtles hatch at Turtle Island.

Thanks for posting that information, great idea!

Here is their webpage: Turtle Island

They have some incredible projects in action right now trying to save some of the rarest turtles on the planet. I'm more of a rodent than reptile kind of guy, but turtles are beautiful, ancient, and worthy of our attention. Here are some photos of the Giant Yangtze Softshell turtle that is also endangered:

The Yangtze Softshell Turtle is one of the largest, if not the largest, freshwater turtle in the world. Today, we know of only three living specimens: one pair in China, and in Vietnam one specimen in which the gender is still unknown. Sadly, the female in China, known as “China Girl,” has been producing infertile eggs for years. Thus, Turtle Island will focus on finding additional specimens in the wild, and we will do everything possible to preserve this mysterious species from extinction.

Don't we have banks full of genetic material samples from every species we know about? How can we let any animal go extinct with our scientific resources?

a cool creature. sad to see it in decline along with so many other species. good luck to them all.

originally posted by: InspectorGadget13
Don't we have banks full of genetic material samples from every species we know about? How can we let any animal go extinct with our scientific resources?

Look up how many species that are disappearing each and every day, we are in the middle of a massive die off, those genetic materials will be used after the reset.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: InspectorGadget13





Look up how many species that are disappearing each and every day, we are in the middle of a massive die off, those genetic materials will be used after the reset.

Don't we have banks full of genetic material samples from every species we know about? How can we let any animal go extinct with our scientific resources?

But we could use them now! Surely there are groups that would fund artificial reinforcement of different species, at least one would think.

a reply to: InspectorGadget13

It would be futile at this point, we can't stop the mass die off that are occurring, mother nature has a plan that we humans are not privy too.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Did mom include human idiocy in that plan?

a reply to: Phage

Who knows, humans could be like the regret that often follows a big night out drinking.

in the 1970s it was estimated that only 20 florida panthers existed in the wild. in 2017 we had that number up to 230. spread awareness around its habitat. it can be saved

I was once lucky enough to get a free back stage pass to the Saint Louis Zoo reptile house. Just to set this up, the Saint Louis zoo is still regarded as one of the top three zoo's in the United States (and if you ever are in town, except for parking 90% of the park is free.

Anyway, they had to keep these little guys "backstage" because they were very territorial. They still loved them enough though to give them their own special habitat out of the view of the public. Very interesting animals, and up close very cute. Like pigs with a turtle shell. I think if my memory serves me right that they were the only fresh water turtle that has flippers.

Thanks for the revisit on my memories OP, I appreciate it.

For some reason , the famous words from Arnold to the Predator when the Predator took off his helmet comes to mind
....

originally posted by: seattlerat
Thanks for posting that information, great idea!

Here is their webpage: Turtle Island

!!!!Darth Turtle Returns!!!!

originally posted by: midnightstar
I sware it has gotten so bad now we even have turtles going punk .
Doesnt the dude know punk went out 20 years agaio ?
LOL really does look like a punker with the green alga hair do

Punks not dead. It just smells like a turtle.

Ahha... I'll be somewhere else all night..

Oo

Just glue some fake grass hair to a snail, and you'd never know the difference.

Thank me later.