Bellinger River snapping turtle

Bellinger River snapping turtle
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Chelidae
Genus: Myuchelys
Species:
M. georgesi
Binomial name
Myuchelys georgesi
(Cann, 1997)
Synonyms
  • Elseya sp. 3
    1996 and 2000 IUCN Red Lists
  • Elseya georgesi
    Cann, 1997
  • Elseya latisternum georgesi
    Artner, 2008
  • Myuchelys georgesi
    S. Thomson & Georges, 2009
  • Wollumbinia georgesi (Cann, 1997)

The Bellinger River turtle (Myuchelys georgesi), or Bellinger River saw-shelled turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is of moderate size, with a straight-line carapace length to 240 mm (9.4 in) in females, and 185 mm (7.3 in) in males. It is endemic to Australia with a highly restricted distribution to the small coastal drainage of the Bellinger River in New South Wales.

In the past the species was considered locally abundant. The species' preferred habitat is the deeper pools of the clear-water upstream reaches of the river, where water flows continuously in most months over a bedrock basement and a stream bed of boulders, pebbles, and gravel. A captive breeding program has been under way since a 2015 virus outbreak came close to wiping out the entire species. Most remaining individuals are currently housed in quarantine, though a small number have been reintroduced to the original habitat.