Food of the Snake-Necked Turtle, Chelodina Longicollis (Shaw) (Testudines: Chelidae) in the Murray Valley, Victoria and New South Wales.

Abstract

The diet of C. longicollis was inferred from analysis ofthe stomach contents of 105 turtles collected from the Murray River and associated water bodies in south-eastem Australia. The most important food items in terms of volume were carrion and decapod crustaceans in the river, camon and littoral-benthic invertebrates in lakes and ponds containing fish, and planktonic crustaceans (mostly Cladocera) in ponds and pools without fish. Terrestrial invertebrates, which had presumably fallen into the water, nektonic insects and whole fish were also eaten. Diet varied relatively little with turtle size and sex, although juveniles ate relatively less carrion and more littoral and benthic invertebrates than adults. Within the constraints of its obligate carnivory, C. longicollis is a catholic and opportunistic feeder.