Rote Island Snake-necked Turtles Hatch at the TSC

By Cris Hagen

The Turtle Survival Center is proud to announce its first ever captive breeding of the critically endangered Rote Island Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi). The success of this reproduction is particularly important to the studbook management of this species because it represents a completely new bloodline to the captive population. The male and female were imported into the U.S. as adults in the late 1990s and lived a solitary existence in captivity until 2017. They were brought together at the TSC after living for 20 years without a mate and are now reproductively active once again after the long hiatus. Three hatchlings have been produced so far and a second clutch of nine eggs from this pair is currently developing in an incubator. Another clutch of eggs from a captive bred pair at the TSC is also incubating and expected to hatch soon. We hope to produce many more offspring over the coming years that will help contribute to head-starting and reintroduction efforts currently underway through the Wildlife Conservation Society.