‘Remarkable’ freshwater turtles face quiet decline

This is an episode from our new podcast, It Starts With... available on Apple, Spotify and ConnectSci.

If you enjoy this, check out part 2 of our turtles chat on It Starts With...

Australia’s freshwater turtles are some of the country’s most fascinating and under-appreciated animals.

They can live for decades, survive incredible injuries, help clean river systems and in some cases even breathe underwater through specialised adaptations. But despite how remarkable they are, turtle populations across Australia are quietly declining and most people do not even realise it is happening.

In this first of a two-part panel episode, David Boldeman is joined by turtle experts Deb Bower, James Van Dyke, Michael Thompson and Ricky Spencer to explore why turtles are so important, the surprising biology behind how they survive, and the growing challenges they face.

Deb, James, Mike and Ricky co-author the book The Mystery of the Missing Turtles with Elizabeth Hale and illustrator James O'Hanlon. The book is published by CSIRO Publishing and is available in print or eBook.

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