Fitzroy River Turtle

Vulnerable under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992 and Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Found only in the Fitzroy River catchment and its tributaries, these omnivorous turtles can take between 15-60 breaths per minute through their bottom.

Referred to as cloacal breathing, this ability is why turtles can stay under water for long periods of time – the Fitzroy River Turtle can stay underwater for days at a time. To aid ‘bum-breathing’, Fitzroy River Turtles prefer to live in shallow areas of water that run over a rocky river bed (called ‘riffle zones’). Find out more about what they eat, where they live and why they’re special here.