Endangered bum-breathing punk turtles thrill rescuers with late hatching against the odds

[cagey]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2...-river-catchment-threatened-species/100804026
A precious clutch of endangered, bum-breathing Mary River turtle babies has defied the odds by surviving huge floodwaters and hatching long after rescuers feared they may have died.

Key points:​

• The Mary River turtle hatchlings took 76 days to emerge, one of the longest recorded incubations
• The average incubation period is 55 days
• The turtles are an endangered species so a clutch was moved to a predator-proof cage

Graziers, dairy farmers, and members of the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC) gathered to release the hatchlings, excited to have saved them.