Resource Library

This is a collation of scientific research papers, reports, and books which all contain fascinating stories and scientific information about the Mary River turtle. Many of the scientific publications listed here are a result of the financial and other support given by Tiaro Landcare to university researchers.

Beukeboom, R (2014) Threats to the early life stages of the Mary River  turtle (Elusor macrurus) from Queensland, Australia. MSc thesis, Utrecht University.

Saving the endangered Mary River turtle: Enhancing conservation outcomes through community engagement.

The efficacy of protecting turtle nests as a conservation strategy to reverse population decline.

Campbell MA, Connell MJ, Collett SJ, Udyawer V, Crewe TL, McDougall A, & Campbell HA (2020) The efficacy of protecting turtle nests as a conservation strategy to reverse population decline. Biological Conservation, vol. 251

Campbell, H (2010) The strange tale of the Mary River’s tiny turtle: The future is uncertain for the odd reptile that helped stop the Traveston Crossing dam. Australian Geographic.

Cann, J (1998) Australian Freshwater Turtles. Beaumont Publishing, Singapore.

Cann, J & Sadlier, R (2017) Freshwater turtles of Australia. CSIRO Publishing.

Clark, NJ (2008) The diving physiological ecology of Australian Freshwater turtle hatchlings. PhD thesis, The University of Queensland.

Clark, NJ, Gordos MA & Franklin, CE (2008) Diving behaviour, aquatic respiration and blood respiratory properties: a comparison of hatchling and juvenile Australian turtles. The Zoological Society of London, vol. 275 no. 4.

Clark, NJ, Gordos, MA & Franklin, CE (2008) Thermal plasticity of diving behaviour, aquatic respiration, and locomotor performance in the Mary River turtle Elusor macrurus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology: Ecological and Evolutionary Approaches, vol 81, no. 3.

Clark, NJ, Gordos, MA & Franklin, CE (2009) Implications of river damming: the influence of aquatic hypoxia on the diving physiology and behaviour of the endangered Mary River turtle. Animal Conservation 12: 147-154

Collett, S (2017) Understanding the environmental conditions that dictate the abundance and distribution of two threatened freshwater turtles of south-east Queensland. Honours thesis, Charles Darwin University.

Connell, M, & Wedlock, B (2006) Mary River Turtle Protection: Tiaro District of Southeast Queensland, 2005 2006 nesting season. Conservation technical and data report, Queensland Government Environmental Protection Agency.

Connell, M J, McDougall, A, & Campbell HA (2018) Identifying assemblages of river turtles using a passive and systematic capture technique in the Mary River, Queensland, Australia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 17(2): 187-196.

Connell, MJ (2018) Freshwater turtle assemblages of the Mary River (Queensland, Australia), with a focus on the population of the endangered Elusor macrurus. MSc thesis, Charles Darwin University.

Department of the Environment (2017) Elusor macrurus in species profile and threats database. http://www.environment.gov.au/sprat.

Espinoza, T, Connell, M, Marshall, S, Beukeboom, R & McDougall, A (2018) Nesting behaviour of the endangered Mary River turtle: monitoring and modelling to inform e-flow strategies. Australian Journal of Zoology, 66, 15-26.

Flakus, S (2002) Ecology of the Mary River turtle, Elusor macrurus. MSc Thesis, The University of Queensland.

Flakus S, & Connell M (2008) The Mary River turtle yesterday, today, tomorrow. Tiaro & District Landcare Group Inc.

Georges, A & McInnes, S (1998) Temperature fails to influence hatchling sex in another genus and species of chelid turtle, Elusor macrurus. Journal of Herpetology, vol. 32, no. 4.

Kuchling, G (2008) Independent Expert Review of the information provided in the Traveston Crossing Dam EIS that relates to the Mary River Turtle (EPBC Referral 2006/3150).

Legler, JM, & Cann, J (1994) The Mary River Tortoise: A New Genus and Species of Short-Necked Chelid from Queensland, Australia (Testudines: Pleurodira). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 1(2): 81-96.

Limpus, C (2008) Freshwater turtles in the Mary River: Review of biological data for turtles in the Mary River, with emphasis on Elusor macrurus and Elseya albagula. Queensland Government, Brisbane.

Micheli-Campbell, MA, Campbell, HA, Cramp, RL, Booth, DT & Franklin, CE (2011) Staying cool, keeping strong: incubation temperature affects performance in a freshwater turtle. Journal of Zoology, vol. 285, no. 4, pp. 266-273.

Micheli-Campbell, MA, Gordos, MA, Campbell, HA, Booth, DT & Franklin, CE (2012) The influence of daily temperature fluctuations during incubation upon the phenotype of a freshwater turtle. Journal of Zoology, vol. 288, no. 2, pp. 143-150.

Micheli-Campbell, M A de (2012) Habitat requirements for nesting and early life-stages of the endangered Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus): Insights for conservation. PhD thesis, The University of Queensland.

Micheli-Campbell, MA, Baumgartl, T, Booth, DT, Campbell, HA, Connell, M & Franklin, CE (2013) Selectivity and repeated use of nesting sites in a freshwater turtle. Herpetologica, vol. 69, no. 4, pp. 383-396.

Micheli-Campbell, MA, Campbell, HA, Connell, M, Dwyer, RG & Franklin, CE (2013) Integrating telemetry with a predictive model to assess habitat preferences and juvenile survival in an endangered freshwater turtle. Freshwater Biology, vol. 58, no. 11, pp. 2253-2263.

Micheli-Campbell, MA, Connell, M, Dwyer, R, Franklin, C, Fry, B, Kennard, M, Tao, J & Campbell, H (2017) Identifying critical habitat for freshwater turtles: integrating long-term monitoring tools to enhance conservation and management. Biodiversity and Conservation, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 1675-1688.

Schmidt, DJ, Brockett, B, Espinoza, T, Connell, M & Hughes, JM (2016) Complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) and low mtDNA variation across the species’ range. Australian Journal of Zoology, vol. 64, no. 2, pp. 117-121.

Schmidt, DJ, Espinoza, T, Connell, M & Hughes, JM (2017) Conservation genetics of the Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) in natural and captive populations. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2017;1-9

Smith, T & Connell, M (2018) Mary’s famous five: a story of connection, commitment and community in the recovery of threatened aquatic species in the Mary River catchment, Queensland, in Garnett ST, Latch P, Lindenmayer D & Woinarski J (eds), Recovering Australian threatened species: a book of hope. CSIRO Publishing.