Bellinger River snapping turtle

The Bellinger River snapping turtle Myuchelys georgesi is critically endangered and endemic to a 60km stretch of the Bellinger Catchment on the north coast of NSW. A disease outbreak in early 2015 was responsible for the death of a large proportion of the population. A new virus is thought to be associated with the disease. They prefer the deeper pools of the clear-water upstream reaches of the river. It has a broad yellow stripe along each side of the face and neck and a yellowish plastron with dark outlines on the edges of the shields. Filmed in 4K.