Steve Irwin’s New Turtle Discovery
Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 17th, 2007
Steve Irwin’s father, Bob, pictured lower left, discusses the naming of the new turtle, lower right, after Steve.
To round out the picture of the late Steve Irwin’s contributions to cryptozoology, beyond his search for Thylacines, it is worthy of mentioning that Steve Irwin discovered a new animal, a turtle, which has now been named after him.
Television personality Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin and his father, Bob, caught a unknown turtle on a fishing line during a camping trip in 1990. It was new to them, and thus Steve took photographs and sent them to turtle authority John Cann. After Irwin’s death, Cann determined the animal was a new species.
The common name is now “Irwin’s turtle” and the Latin name is Elseya irwini, a new species of Australian turtle. The female of the species has a pale head with a yellowish horny sheath on the crown. The type locality is the Burdekin River drainage, on the coast of Queensland [19º42'S 147º18'E].
Irwin’s turtle has been determined to be noctidiurnal. It is able to breath underwater for extended periods of time because it possesses the unusual ability to intake water into its cloaca, which contains a special organ to extract oxygen. Also, of 82 captured Irwin’s turtles examined of an estimated population of 4000-5000, 77 were found to be females, thus showing the most female-biased turtle population known, but for reasons unknown.
Indeed, Irwin’s turtle is unique, as was Steve Irwin.
Source: Elseya irwini Cann, J. (1997). Irwin’s Turtle: A new species of short-necked turtle from Western Australia. Monitor 9(1): 36-40 [36]. Australian News.
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Loren Coleman no longer writes for Cryptomundo. His archived posts remain here at Cryptomundo.
Great article, thanks for posting Loren. How fitting to have the turtle named after Irwin. Very nice. Interesting how the turtle can breathe under water, I’ve never heard of that before.
A new turtle named in honor of the Great Steve Irwin, I still miss that guy, he had a great love for discovery and conservation.
Yeah, that oxygen-extracting cloaca is something, anyone know how many other aquatic or marine reptiles have one? Makes you wonder what adaptations other known or unknown reptiles may have.
Fittingly deserved.
I can answer part of shovethenos’ question. I don’t know much about reptiles in the biological sense, but I know that the alligator snapping turtle stays on the bottom for ages, luring fish with its tongue (which resembles a worm), the way some of the predatory fish do.
Might the great marine reptiles of the Jurassic have possessed something similar to extend the length of their dives? Is there any way to find out?
Good article and fitting tribute to Steve Irwin. We still enjoy watching him scramble through the bush in the reruns.
A turtle named after my idol….Yay! Steve was the best!