Today’s animal should not be difficult to identify in the wild. In fact, I think the Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle might be one of the easiest animals in Australia to identify. Don’t worry, if you think you might have problems picking this turtle out of a lineup, we will be going over a few characteristics to make it even easier….if that is possible. The Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle is also known as the Eastern Long-Necked Turtle, Common Snake-Necked Turtle and continuing with the unimaginative naming conventions…the Common Long-Necked Turtle. I think it is pretty obvious where these amphibians get their name, so let’s look a little closer at their neck, shall we?

A Neck Above the Rest

Yes, the most distinctive characteristic of the Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle is definitely their loooooong neck. Believe it or not, the neck of this turtle is capable of being as long as the turtle itself. Could you impinge if your neck was as long as your body? As you could imagine, pulling such a long neck into your shell would be quite difficult. Unlike other turtles who just pull their neck straight in, the Common Long-Necked Turtle will actually bend their head sideways in order to fit it into their carapace. I guess the old saying still old’s true…where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Taking Your Order

Moving to the opposite side of the Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle’s body, you will notice that their feet are also unique. This particular turtle has webbed feet and can pack a lot of power into their legs. These feet are perfect for swimming, digging and of course ripping apart your lunch. So what’s on the menu? With a neck like that, you may expect them to eat the leaves of the tallest trees, however, this turtle prefers to feast on a variety of animals. The lunchtime specials include worms, insects, tadpoles, frogs, molluscs and of course small fish. It seems like this turtle never wants to eat the same thing twice… definitely not a picky eater.

You Smell Something?

The Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle needs to be cautious, since they are also on the menu for fish, lizard, birds and even vehicles. Okay, so the last one probably doesn’t eat them but in the eyes of the turtle, your car is one big predator. When these long necked turtle feel threatened they will begin to smell up the place by emitting a strong musky, liquid from their armpits and groin area. For this reason, I would probably refrain from picking up one of these cuddly, long-necked turtles.