Southwestern Snake-necked Turtle

Adults: female carapace length is larger than that of males, reaching lengths of up to 40cm. Combined with their head and neck length, a female may reach lengths of over 80cm in total body size. Males have an average carapace length of 25-28cm and reach sexual maturity when their carapace is approximately 140mm, while females reach maturity at a carapace length of 160-170mm. Hatchlings: no ethical, non-invasive methods of sex determination are known for hatchlings, which very rarely display significant size variation between individuals of the same or separate nest. Upon emerging from their nest, hatchlings are typically 29-33mm.

The natural distribution of the oblong turtle is southwestern Australia, from the Fitzgerald River National Park in the south-eastern edge of the distribution, up to Jurien Bay (Hill River) in the north. There is also a suspected introduced population around Geraldton, another 170 km north of Jurien Bay. There is a slight overlap of native geographical range with the Flat-shelled turtle (Chelodina steindachneri), however there has only been one recorded occurrence of the two species co-existing in the same waterbody. The oblong turtle lives in a wide range of freshwater habitats, including wetlands, lakes and rivers. They are known to be capable of living in urban and agricultural environments, such as urban lakes and dams. The turtle is an opportunistic carnivore and the apex predator of the wetlands within its native range. Using their distinct "snake-neck" they deploy a recoil and strike technique to capture prey, feeding mainly on macro-invertebrates such as yabbies, fish, tadpoles, frogs, ducklings and carrion, usually that of the noxious European carp. Hatchlings feed on mosquito larvae and other small aquatic invertebrates.

The specific name/epithet, oblonga, comes directly from the Latin word oblonga (or oblongum), meaning "long, elongated, or oblong." This refers to the oblong-shaped shell of the species.