Picture Gallery > Endangered Species-Turtles and Lungfish (7)
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Male Juvenile Freshwater Turtle
A collage of an adult female, adult male and juvenile Southern snapping turtle Elseya albagula, courtesy of Scott Thomson.
ABC Stateline presentation on the Mary River Turtles, “Traveston Trevails”, can be viewed hereMore photos (From AFTCRA Inc.) of the Mary River’s endangered turtles can be viewed here
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Lungfish
The Queensland lungfish is the one living fish that most closely resembles the distant fish ancestors of all back-boned land animals including ourselves. As such it has a unique role to play in studies of vertebrate evolution, because it allows us to test the information from fossil bones (which often raise more questions than they answer) against the anatomy, genetics and behaviour of a living animal. To describe it as “scientifically invaluable” would be an understatement. - Per AhlbergPictures courtesy of AFTCRA Inc.
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Mary river mega-dam wall site
The above photo was taken on Friday 13.4.07 at the precise spot that the proposed Mega-dam wall will disect the Mary River. On this day, Craig Latta and Bernie McAlister of AFTCRA Inc. (Australian Freshwater Turtle Conservation & Research Association) revisited the site and caught a sample population of turtles withing a 30 minute period. We caught 8 Mary River turtles, 5 Krefft’s turtles and an adult pair of Saw-shelled turtles within that time frame!
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Mary river with dam wall and water grid
This pic shows the proposed approximate positioning of the dam wall (purple) and the water height when full (if ever we get the 10 year flood) with the blue grid. The tree at the top left (old fig tree) is where the proposed spillway will be in front of! -
QLD lungfish_
The Queensland lungfish carries unique genetic links back to the evolution of landbased creatures. Ecologists are sceptical that a fish ladder being engineered by Burnett Water Ltd to facilitate movement of lungfish, will work.
Population Information
The total Australian Lungfish population is fewer than 10 000 individuals (Catalyst 2006). There are two major populations of the Australian Lungfish, occurring naturally in the Burnett and Mary Rivers.
Anecdotal information suggests that there is also a large translocated population in the Brisbane River. Numerous large individuals are seen in the Wivenhoe dam on the Brisbane River, downstream to the Mt Crosby Weir. There are two further moderate populations that show irregular evidence of recruitment; the Enoggera Reservoir, and the North Pine River. There are ‘moderate numbers’ in the North Pine River, and Lungfish are often caught and reported by anglers downstream at Young’s Crossing after water flows over the top of the dam. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, Lungfish were regularly found at the base of the Enoggera dam wall after floods. The status of translocated populations of Lungfish in the Logan River, Coomera River, Gold Creek and Lake Manchester is uncertain; it is likely to be very rare or extinct at these sites. It is almost certainly absent from the Condamine River (Johnson 2001).
Graeme Armstrong - Where wild things are dammed -
Yabba creek lungfish
Recent photo taken by Craig Latta in Yabba Creek a tributary of the Mary River. I have seen heaps in the Charlie Morland camping area water hole which is approx. 5kms upstream in Little Yabba from the Mary River junction. Anyone disputing this fact is quite welcome to come along with me for a dive but must make a $500 dollar donation to AFTCRA Inc. once proved wrong. I will personally give $500 if they aren’t there. That’s how confident I am!
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John Williamson with Travis
John Williamson with Travis the Mary River Turtle at the Gympie Muster