Eastern Snake Neck
Active Member
I recently received some photos of a Murray Cod Post-Mortem. The death of the cod probably had something to do with the 32cm Murray River Turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii) in its stomach.
I have posted a couple of photos below. The other photos can be seen on my web site (go to www.turtlesnsw.com and click on Photos, then scroll down to the Murray Cod Post-Mortem link on the left hand side).
I don't actually know how or why the cod died, but I can surmise:
It is possible that the turtle in the photo was attacked by a fox when she came out to nest and managed to make it back into the river, where she may have died before being eaten by the cod.
Foxes are a major threat to turtles throughout Australia.
One recent study showed that they attack and kill 90% of nesting Murray River Turtles. The foxes bite off the turtle's head and legs.
Of the turtles that are not killed by foxes and actually manage to nest, 90% of those nests are dug up by foxes.
The upshot is that a mere 1% of turtle nests actually make it through to hatching, due directly to the fox. If the situation remains unchanged, the turtle population will be unsustainable.
Meanwhile, the introduced carp numbers are on the increase. Turtles are one of the few predators of carp in Australia. It has been estimated that turtles in the Murray River consume 180,000 tonnes of carrion per annum, with most of this being carp. The carp make up to 90% of the fish biomass in some Australian Rivers.
So, if we get rid of the foxes, the turtle numbers will increase and the carp numbers will decrease. Of course, there are few politicians in this country that want to acknowledge the problem. In about 20 years time, people are going to start saying "Where have all the turtles gone?" Politicians tend to see three years ahead, because that's when the next election will be held. Pity, because it would be a great way to help save the Murray River and get rid of a couple of introduced pests at the same time.
- Michael.
I have posted a couple of photos below. The other photos can be seen on my web site (go to www.turtlesnsw.com and click on Photos, then scroll down to the Murray Cod Post-Mortem link on the left hand side).
I don't actually know how or why the cod died, but I can surmise:
It is possible that the turtle in the photo was attacked by a fox when she came out to nest and managed to make it back into the river, where she may have died before being eaten by the cod.
Foxes are a major threat to turtles throughout Australia.
One recent study showed that they attack and kill 90% of nesting Murray River Turtles. The foxes bite off the turtle's head and legs.
Of the turtles that are not killed by foxes and actually manage to nest, 90% of those nests are dug up by foxes.
The upshot is that a mere 1% of turtle nests actually make it through to hatching, due directly to the fox. If the situation remains unchanged, the turtle population will be unsustainable.
Meanwhile, the introduced carp numbers are on the increase. Turtles are one of the few predators of carp in Australia. It has been estimated that turtles in the Murray River consume 180,000 tonnes of carrion per annum, with most of this being carp. The carp make up to 90% of the fish biomass in some Australian Rivers.
So, if we get rid of the foxes, the turtle numbers will increase and the carp numbers will decrease. Of course, there are few politicians in this country that want to acknowledge the problem. In about 20 years time, people are going to start saying "Where have all the turtles gone?" Politicians tend to see three years ahead, because that's when the next election will be held. Pity, because it would be a great way to help save the Murray River and get rid of a couple of introduced pests at the same time.
- Michael.
