Australia's "punk turtle" risks being last of the Mohicans
Known affectionately as the "punk turtle", the Mary River Turtle was this week ranked number 29 by the Zoological Society of London on its Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered list, triggering widespread calls to better protect the Australian reptile.
Australian John Cann, a Sydney-based turtle enthusiast, found the Mary River Turtle in a discovery that led to the Mary River Turtle being classified as a new species.
Found in just one waterway in a remote part of Australia's east coast, the turtle - with its green-algae Mohican and ability to breathe through its genitals - is one of the world's most distinct reptiles. It is also now officially one of the most endangered.
Known affectionately as the "punk turtle", the Mary River Turtle was this week ranked number 29 by the Zoological Society of London on its Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered list, triggering widespread calls to better protect the Australian reptile.
Cann made it his mission to find where they lived and after searching for over 20 years, he one day spotted the turtle sunning itself on a log in the Mary River in the state of Queensland.
Despite once being a popular pet in Australia, mystery shrouds the Mary River Turtle and the exact population size still unknown, the Zoological Society of London said. Academic research was hampered in 1974 when traders refused to reveal the habitat of what were then known as "Penny Turtles" after Australia outlawed keeping them as pets.
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