‘Remarkable’ freshwater turtles face quiet decline

Australia’s freshwater turtles are some of the country’s most fascinating and under-appreciated animals.They can live for decades, survive incredible injuries, help clean river systems and in some cases even breathe underwater through specialised adaptations. But despite how remarkable they are, turtle populations across Australia are quietly declining and most people do not even realise it is happening.In this first of a two-part panel episode, David Boldeman is joined by turtle experts Deb Bower, James Van Dyke, Michael Thompson and Ricky Spencer to explore why turtles are so important, the surprising biology behind how they survive, and the growing challenges they face.Part two will be published on May 26 and discusses the 1 Million Turtles project.Deb, James, Mike and Ricky co-author the book The Mystery of the Missing Turtles with Elizabeth Hale and illustrator James O'Hanlon. The book is published by CSIRO Publishing and is available in print or eBook.It Starts With... is a ConnectSci podcast. ConnectSci delivers trusted, fact-based content, including peer-reviewed journal articles, eBooks and science news articles. It is operated by CSIRO Publishing, a not-for-profit, editorially independent publisher based in Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.