Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation ProjectCarettochelyidae of the IUCN/SSC — Tortoise Carettochelys and Freshwater insculpta Turtle Specialist Group 009.1 A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, and J.B. Iverson, Eds. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.009.insculpta.v1.2008 © 2008 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 13 June 2008 Carettochelys insculpta Ramsay 1886 – Pig-Nosed Turtle, Fly River Turtle ARTHUR GEOR G ES 1, J. SE A N DOO D Y 1, CA RL A EISEMBER G 1, ERIK A A. AL ac S 1, A N D MA RK ROSE 2 1Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia [
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[email protected]] SUMM A RY . – Carettochelys insculpta, the pig-nosed turtle (Family Carettochelyidae), is the sole surviving member of a family of turtles that was widely distributed during the Tertiary. It is re- stricted to the southern rivers of New Guinea and the rivers of the Northern Territory in Australia. Carettochelys is therefore a distinctive geographic and taxonomic relict and, although locally abun- dant, it is rare in the sense of being geographically restricted. Moreover, Carettochelys is unique or unusual among turtles in many facets of its morphology, ecology, and behavior. Populations in New Guinea are thought to be declining because of increased exploitation for meat and eggs for both domestic consumption and the international pet trade.