Fly River Turtle facts: aka pig nosed turtle! - Reptilenesia
the most aquatic of all freshwater
turtles is found in New Guinea and a few
rivers like this one in northern
Australia the pig-nosed turtle its feet
have become completely transformed into
flippers and 
Are of little use on land
and indeed the pig-nosed turtle rarely
comes ashore but turtles are descended
from land-living ancestors and so they
still need to breathe air
females also have to return to land in
order to lay their eggs pig-nosed is
nest during the dry season high up on
the riverbank
if TEFL eggs get wet the babies inside
them will drown at least that is the
case with most Turtles an egg for a turtle represents a huge investment as
it does for any reptile so turtles go
through a great deal of trouble to make
sure that they lay their eggs in safe
dry places so you would think that
dropping one into the water would be a
disaster
but watch.
fully developed baby turtle and it's
come from an egg which as far as we know
is unique in the reptile world it cannot
only survive being flooded it actually
requires to be submerged in water in
order to hatch this enables the pig nose
to make the hatching of the eggs
coincide with the onset of the rainy
season a view inside the egg would show
the babies to be fully round
they can remain there in the kind of
suspended animation if necessary for
weeks when the rain is finally arrive
they are torrential the river rises
swiftly and soon the nests are fluffy
this would be a disaster for most
Turtles.
but the unhatched pig noses are ready
fight indeed it's the moment they've
been waiting for
their unique waiting strategy ensures
that no matter how late the rains are
the only turtles only emerge when the
rivers are full and that's plenty to eat
they're able to swim immediately
in due course the females among them
will return here to lay eggs themselves
the males however will never set foot on
dry land again no turtles are better
suited to life in freshwater than the
pig nose
