Critically endangered snakeneck turtles hatch at Poland’s Wrocław Zoo

Four McCord’s snakeneck turtles, a species found only on Indonesia’s tiny Rote Island, have hatched at Wrocław Zoo, the park said on Thursday, marking a rare boost for a reptile classified as critically endangered.

McCord's snakeneck turtle belongs to the genus Chelodina (Australian snake-necked turtles) within the family Chelidae (Austro-South American side-necked turtles).

Photo: Wrocław Zoo

The hatchlings remain in an incubator, but older McCord’s turtles can be viewed in the zoo’s Terrarium pavilion.

Discovered in 1994, the species (Chelodina mccordi) was decimated within five years by habitat loss and poaching for the exotic-pet trade; today it survives on roughly 70 sq km of Rote’s wetlands.

 

One of the young snakenecks. Photo: Wrocław Zoo

Wrocław recorded Poland’s first—and Europe’s third—successful breeding of the turtle in 2011 and now participates in an international breeding program aimed at restoring wild populations.

Since 2001 Indonesia has banned any commercial trade in the species, which is still coveted by collectors in Asia, North America and Europe.

Known for a neck nearly as long as its shell, the turtle folds its head sideways under its carapace and can strike prey with lightning speed.

Zoo officials hope the new clutch will strengthen the captive population and, eventually, support re-introduction efforts.

(jh)

Source: RMF24, Wrocław Zoo