SAW-SHELLED TURTLE

Where They Live

Saw-shelled turtles are found along the eastern side of Australia, mainly:

• From coastal and subcoastal Queensland
• Down into eastern New South Wales
• Also on some offshore islands (such as Fraser Island / K’gari region)

They prefer freshwater:

• Shaded rainforest streams
• Slow-flowing creeks and rivers
• Farm dams and still ponds
• Urban lakes and reservoirs, if conditions are right

Picture a quiet creek with overhanging branches, leaf litter on the bottom, and dappled light on the water – that is perfect saw-shelled turtle country.

What They Look Like

Shell and Body

The saw-shelled turtle gets its name from the jagged, saw-like edge of its shell, especially at the back. This serrated edge is most obvious in younger turtles and can wear down slightly with age.

Key features:

• Carapace (top shell):
  • Usually brown to dark olive, sometimes with darker mottling
  • Oval to slightly elongated shape
  • Rough texture, not smooth and glossy like some other turtles
• Plastron (bottom shell):
  • Cream to yellowish, sometimes with darker smudges

Head and Neck

This is a “side-necked” turtle (family Chelidae), meaning:

• It bends its neck sideways under the shell to hide its head
  (instead of pulling it straight back like many Northern Hemisphere turtles)

Other head and neck features:

• Head often has small spots or patterns, sometimes a pale stripe behind the eye
• Neck skin can be slightly frilled or spiky, adding to a rough, prehistoric look
• Eyes positioned to give a good forward and side view while swimming

Size

• Shell length typically around 18–25 cm in adults
• Females are often a bit larger than males

Behaviour and Lifestyle

Daily Rhythm

Saw-shelled turtles are mostly aquatic and spend much of their time:

• Resting on the bottom under logs and debris
• Slowly patrolling their home pool or reach of creek
• Rising regularly to the surface for a quick breath of air

On sunny days, they sometimes bask:

• Climbing onto submerged logs, rocks or edges of dams
• Spreading out to warm their bodies with the sun
• Sliding back into the water at the first sign of danger

Movement and Territory

They are strong swimmers and can move between water bodies when conditions change, especially:

• During heavy rain and flooding
• When smaller pools dry up, forcing them to travel overland

They are generally shy around humans, slipping away quietly rather than showing themselves.

Diet: What They Eat

The saw-shelled turtle is omnivorous, with a diet that is both flexible and important for freshwater ecosystems.

They eat:

• Animal matter

  • Insects and insect larvae
  • Small crustaceans
  • Tadpoles and small fish
  • Carrion (dead animals in the water)

• Plant matter

  • Soft aquatic plants
  • Algae
  • Fallen fruit or plant debris in the water

Ecological Role

As a scavenger and predator, this turtle helps:

• Clean up dead material, reducing disease and decay in still waters
• Keep some animal populations (like certain insects and tadpoles) in balance

In some areas, saw-shelled turtles are one of the few native predators that can handle certain invasive species, such as:

• Eating cane toad tadpoles and juveniles more safely than many other animals, which are often poisoned by them.

This ability gives them a quiet but significant role in resisting some invasive species impacts.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Nesting

Breeding usually occurs in the warmer months. Females:

1. Leave the water
2. Walk to a suitable patch of soft soil or sand above the waterline
3. Dig a nest chamber with their hind legs
4. Lay a clutch of eggs, then cover the nest carefully

Clutch size can vary, but it is often around 8–20 eggs, depending on the female’s size and condition.

Eggs and Hatchlings

• The eggs are left to develop on their own, warmed by the soil and seasonal temperatures.
• After several months, tiny hatchlings emerge:
  • Shell only a few centimetres long
  • More sharply serrated shell edges than adults
  • Highly vulnerable to predators, including birds, fish, goannas, and even larger turtles

Very few hatchlings reach adulthood, which is why adult survival is so important for the species.

Sensory World: How It Might Feel to Be One

To imagine a saw-shelled turtle’s world:

• Sight:
  • Underwater light is soft and greenish
  • Shapes of submerged branches, fish, and other turtles move slowly in front of them
• Touch:
  • Cool water flowing past the limbs and head
  • Mud and leaf litter under their claws when they rest on the bottom
  • Warmth on the shell when they climb onto a log to bask in the sun
• Smell and taste:
  • Subtle chemical cues in the water from potential food, other turtles, and predators
  • The rich, earthy taste of decaying leaves and small animals mixed together in the water

Turtles use a combination of these senses to navigate, feed, and avoid danger in often murky conditions.

Threats and Conservation

The saw-shelled turtle is not currently among the most critically endangered Australian turtles, but it still faces important pressures:

Main Threats

• Habitat loss and modification

  • Clearing of riverbank vegetation
  • Channelisation and straightening of creeks
  • Dams and weirs changing natural flow patterns

• Water quality decline

  • Pollution from agriculture and urban runoff
  • Sediment and nutrients clouding the water

• Predation on eggs and hatchlings

  • Foxes, dogs, feral pigs and goannas  raiding nests
  • Birds and large fish taking hatchlings

• Road mortality

  • Turtles crossing roads between water bodies, especially after rain, are often struck by vehicles

Conservation Messages (What Helps)

Even simple actions can support saw-shelled turtles and other freshwater wildlife:

• Protect riparian vegetation

  • Keeping or restoring native plants along creek banks provides shade, stability, and food sources

• Maintain clean water

  • Reducing fertiliser and chemical use
  • Managing erosion and sediment run-off

• Create turtle-friendly farm dams

  • Providing some natural edges with plants and logs
  • Avoiding full concreted or extremely steep banks

• Drive carefully near wetlands and creeks

  • Especially in rainy periods and warm months when turtles may be moving overland

• Support local conservation efforts

  • Community groups monitoring turtles and restoring waterways
  • Citizen science projects that record turtle sightings

How to Tell It Apart from Other Freshwater Turtles

In eastern Australia, saw-shelled turtles can be confused with other species like the eastern long-necked turtle. Some simple differences:

Why This Species Matters

The Saw-shelled turtle is part of an ancient Australian turtle lineage, representing millions of years of evolution in freshwater environments. By:

• Cleaning up organic material
• Controlling some animal populations
• Acting as indicators of waterway health.

They help keep freshwater ecosystems functioning.

Every time we protect a creek, dam or wetland that supports turtles, we are not just helping one species – we are supporting a whole community of plants and animals that depends on clean, living water.