Herptiles

Chelodina expansa

Broad-Shelled Turtle

Chelodina expansa (Gray, 1857)

Basic info

Common names
  • Broad- shelled Turtle
  • Giant snakeneck turtle
  • Broad-Shelled Turtle
Species nameChelodina expansa
Scientific nameChelodina expansa Gray, 1857
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Testudines
Chelidae
Chelodina expansa

Further Reading

Temperatures & Season

Day time temperatures

Background summer28 - 30 °F
Background winter24 - 28 °F
Basking spot35 °F

Night time temperatures

Background22 - 24 °F

Season

Winter treatmentcooling
Photoperiod summer13-14 hours
Photoperiod winter11-10 hours

Microhabitats

Microhabitats are specific small habitats that an organism inhabits within its broader environment. These can vary greatly depending on the species and can give us insights into the preferred living conditions of each reptile. Understanding these microhabitats can be key to providing the correct care for these animals in captivity.

  • Foliage or shrubs
    Foliage or shrubs
  • Sa
    Semi-arboreal

Ferguson Zones

Ferguson Zones are a way to classify the amount of UV light that reptiles are exposed to in their natural habitats. These zones help us understand and replicate their natural light conditions in captivity, promoting the health and wellbeing of the reptiles. Below, we detail the specific Ferguson Zones of the Chinese Water Dragon, along with recommendations for replicating these conditions

The Ferguson Zone in which the Broad-Shelled Turtle has been placed has been chosen based upon an assessment of its typical basking behaviour and likely microhabitat in the wild.

3
Open or partial sun basker
UVI range avarage: 1-2.6, UVI max recorded: 2.9-7.4

Recommended lighting methods in captivity

Sunbeam method

This method uses the 'Max UVI Recorded' value as a guide for the upper limit of the UVB gradient in captivity. This maximum should be the highest level which a Broad-Shelled Turtle can obtain at its closest approach to its UVB lamp. The highlighted area in the table below represents this range for the Broad-Shelled Turtle.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

More in-depth information about Ferguson zones can be found here: https://jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150

Community collected distribution (1339 occurrences)

Biomes

These are the biomes the Broad-Shelled Turtle was found in. Click here to learn more about terrestrial ecoregions and biomes.

More species to explore

Common Snake-necked Turtle

Chelodina longicollis (Shaw, 1794)

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Macquarie Turtle

Emydura macquarii (Gray, 1830)

Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle

Chelodina mccordi (Rhodin, 1994)

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References

  1. Baines, F.M., Chattell, J., Dale, J., Garrick, D., Gill, I., Goetz, M., Skelton, T. and Swatman, M. 2016. How much UVB does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research. 4, 1 (Jan. 2016), 42–63. DOI:https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v4i1.150.
  2. Chelodina expansa Gray, 1857 in GBIF Secretariat (2021). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org
  3. Gray, J. E. Description of a new species of Chelodina from Australia.
  4. iNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org
This website is created by Jefrim Keijzer | All species