What Are Yellow Neck Turtles?

There are dozens of varieties of turtles and identifying them can be difficult without the right information. The yellow spotted side-necked turtle, or "yellow neck turtle" for short, is a variety of turtle found only on the African island of Madagascar, South America, and Australia. These medium-size reptiles are quite interesting to study and are a lesser known species than other turtle varieties more commonly seen in zoos.

  1. League of Their Own

    • The yellow spotted side-necked turtle belongs to a different suborder of turtle than most turtles that are seen in the wild or in zoo conservation. The yellow neck turtle belongs to the suborder Pleurodira and family Pelomedusidae which differs from the traditional turtle family of Cryptodira which is the suborder that all of the other known species of turtle belong to. These turtles are quite literally in a league of their own, sharing their suborder with only one other family of turtle the Afro-American side-necked turtle.

    Heavily Protected

    • The yellow spotted side-neck turtle enjoys a unique distinction from her closely related brethren, the Pleurodira, in that they have an unhinged abdominal scute (the area between their shell and their body). This allows the turtle to almost totally withdraw into the shell which leaves them more protected from attack from predators. As the turtle retracts its head and feet, predators cannot locate the fleshy parts of the body.

    Water Lovers

    • All yellow neck turtles are dependent upon water and cannot live without a water source. They, however, are not completely amphibians and can venture on to land if water sources become dry. In case of drought, the turtle may bury itself in mud dens that are created to help support the moisture needs of the species, and then as water returns to the habitat they will return to their watery environments.

    Side Necked?

    • Yellow neck turtles are most recognizable by the yellow spots that adorn their sideways necks. The spots can be larger or smaller depending upon the turtle but distinguish them from their mostly green Afro-American side-necked turtle. The yellow neck turtle's neck literally juts to the side so it can easily retreat into its shell by curving its spine to accommodate the dome shape of the turtle shell, which differs from most turtles that pull directly into the shell for protection.

    Endangered

    • The rarity of this turtle has made it an endangered species and is thus protected by environmental protection agencies around the world. Some indigenous cultures hunt and harvest the turtle's eggs, which have reduced the scope of this turtle's influence in the surrounding environment. Protection measures have been mostly successful as efforts have sought to increase the likelihood of yellow neck turtle eggs hatching without human interference.