Emydura macquarii
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Emydura macquarii, also known as the Murray River turtle, Macquarie River turtle, eastern short-necked turtle, eastern short-neck turtle, and southern river turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. Named after the Macquarie River of New South Wales, the turtle is a wide-ranging species that occurs throughout many of the rivers of the eastern half of Australia.
The generic name, Emydura, is derived from the Greek emys (freshwater turtle) and the Greek oura (tail), Latinized to ura. Its grammatical gender is feminine. The specific epithet, macquarii, refers to the turtle's type locality: the Macquarie River. It would seem that the species was not named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie, for whom the river is named.
The species' common names include Murray River turtle, Macquarie River turtle, eastern short-necked turtle, eastern short-neck turtle, and southern river turtle. The subspecific name, emmotti, is in honour of Australian farmer and naturalist Angus Emmott (born 1962).
The subspecific name, krefftii, is in honour of German-born Australian naturalist Gerard Krefft. A species formerly thought to be a separate species, the Bellinger... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hunter River Short-necked Turtle sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 44 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, September–October and December–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hunter River Short-necked Turtle in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–August and November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hunter River Short-necked Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Hunter River Short-necked Turtle sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Royal National Park (Australia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hunter River Short-necked Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Blue Mountains National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
