While there are many amazing and distinctive species in Australia, few are as unique as the Mary River turtle, which was formerly considered to be among the most endangered on the continent. However, thanks to the hard work of 800 people in the town of Tiaro, the turtle is now repopulating the river that bears its name. This is a source of pride for both the nation and the inhabitants as they celebrate a conservation victory. The lovable moniker "Bum-breathing punk" refers to the Mary River turtle (Elusor macrusus), which has the unusual evolutionary ability to breathe through its cloaca, enabling it to go three days without coming to the surface.

Empathy Towards Wildlife is Something Is Been Worked Upon These Years ~ 

This Fella Was Added to the Endangered Species in April 2018~ (Source: Google Images)

The MR turtle, which is one of Australia's largest species, may reach a weight of about 20 pounds and a length of 20 inches from nose to tail. It is sometimes referred to as the green-haired turtle and gets its name from the algae that it accumulates on its shell and head over time, giving the impression that it has a dyed-green mohawk. The MR turtle is distinctive in its tail as well. It still possesses the haemal arches, an Osseo characteristic that all other current turtles have lost but which was once used to identify sauropod dinosaurs. The MR turtle is distinct in contemporary evolution, to put it briefly. This species, which is only found in southeast Queensland's Mary River and its five tributaries, was unintentionally driven to the verge of extinction by turtle egg collectors who wanted to sell young turtles at different locations. The marketing campaign for them was dubbed "penny turtles," and it was carried out without acknowledging the delicate and rare nature of the species from which the eggs were derived. The town of Tiaro started an initiative to safeguard the turtles' nests and eggs in their natural habitat in 2001. Volunteers search for fresh nesting locations early in the nesting season and fence them off to keep animals and invasive egg filchers like foxes away from the nests.

 

The Mary River turtle

 (Source: Marilyn Connell, the Mary River Turtle Project/Tiaro Land Care)

A recent scientific investigation has demonstrated that the initiative was successful not only in terms of the quantity of scientific data collected by the locals but also in terms of the number of turtles present in the Mary River and the hatchling survival rate. However, the achievement did not come easily. The town sold handmade chocolate turtles as a fundraiser to earn money for research equipment and scholarships for students to study turtles at universities. Photographer Chris Van Wyk made famous images of the green "hair" of the turtle in 2006; these images went viral as soon as possible, further contributing to the reptile's awareness-building efforts. Although the turtle is still endangered, research conducted by the people of Tiaro has led to a recovery in the turtle population. Protocols for local water resource planning and strategic development have been established, requiring decision-makers to consider the turtle's habitat and watershed at all times.

“We forget, in a world completely transformed by man, that what we’re looking at is not necessarily the environment wildlife prefer, but the depleted remnant that wildlife is having to cope with: what it has is not necessarily what it wants.” ― Isabella Tree, Wilding