S4.E8 Bum breathers - the Johnstone River snapping turtle

S4.E8 Bum breathers - the Johnstone River snapping turtle

Author: James Donaldson, Wet Tropics Waterways November 15, 2022 Duration: 13:25

Despite its name, the Johnstone River snapping turtle is no snappier than any other freshwater turtle – and is perhaps better known by its alias, the 'bum breather'. According to turtle expert Alistair Freeman, this ability for cloacal respiration is thought to enable bum breathers to stay under water for prolonged periods to avoid predation, although this is still only theory.

Robust and adaptable, the Johnstone River snapping turtle is an important contributor to keeping its freshwater ecosystem healthy, thanks to its enthusiastic consumption of detritus and dead things! When it's not hoovering up these tasty morsels, it enjoys hanging out in areas of river with deep pools and riffles, and healthy riparian vegetation.

Alistair is a Senior Technical Officer for the Queensland Government's Aquatic Species Program and joins us to share his expertise and insights into the quirky Johnstone River snapping turtle.


There's a vital, living connection between the lush, rainforested rivers of Far North Queensland and the vast blue expanse of the Great Barrier Reef. What happens in one profoundly affects the other. Hosted by James Donaldson from Wet Tropics Waterways, the Reef And Rivers Podcast explores this intricate relationship by giving a voice to the people who know it best. Each conversation moves beyond abstract science to ground-level stories, offering a direct line to farmers, Traditional Owners, researchers, and community volunteers who are actively engaged with the landscape. You'll hear about the specific critters-from tiny insects to majestic fish-that indicate a waterway's health, and learn about the practical, often ingenious projects aimed at protecting them. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's an ongoing audio documentary about the interdependence of an entire region's lifestyle, economy, and environment. By tuning into this podcast, you gain an understanding of how everyday actions on land ripple out to the reef, and more importantly, how collective effort is working to ensure both these iconic systems thrive for generations to come. The discussions are grounded, hopeful, and filled with the kind of specific details that only come from firsthand experience.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 72

Reef And Rivers Podcast
Podcast Episodes
S5.E10 Dr Robert Walsh, Micro invertebrates in waterways [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:30
Micro invertebrates are tiny creatures that are invisible to the naked eye but form the basis of the food web in our waterways. Dr. Robert Walsh talks about the importance and diversity of microfauna for sustaining aquat…
S5.E9 Kim Hooper, Prawn Farming Near the Great Barrier Reef [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:25
Australia loves its prawns so much that Queensland's aquaculture industry produces more than $200M of produce of each year, but is it sustainable? Kim Hooper, Executive Officer of the Australian Prawn Farmers Association…
S5.E7 Associate Professor Mike Rasheed and Paul Doyle, Seagrass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:51
Seagrass meadows play a critically important role in the reef ecosystem. They are nursery habitat for fish and prawns, they stabilise sediment and protect coastlines from erosion, they suck up and filter nutrients coming…
S5.E5 Mark Kennard, Bloomfield River Cod [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:39
Professor Mark Kennard discovered the Bloomfield River Cod in the early 90's whilst undertaking fish surveys as a research assistant. It is the only tropical cod in the world that has avoided predators by living in an 11…
S5.E4 Dr Samantha Tol, Dugongs, Turtles and Seagrass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:26
Did you know that seagrass is the only plant in the world that is capable of fruiting and flowering underwater? This is just one of many fascinating facts shared by Dr. Samantha Tol in this week's Reef & Rivers podcast.…
S5.E3 - Joe Marano, Cane Farming by the Great Barrier Reef [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:14
The sugarcane industry is a highly visible part of the Wet Tropics landscape – if you drive between Ingham and the Daintree, you can't miss it. Employing more than 4000 direct jobs and supporting another 1800, it contrib…
S5.E2 - Nathan Waltham, Restoring Coastal Wetlands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:03
Nathan Waltham, Senior Principal Researcher at James Cook University, is an expert in coastal landscape ecology and processes. In this episode of the Reef & Rivers podcast Nathan talks about the importance of different w…