Keys to the Families of Turtles in Australia

Scott Thomson.

1.

Cryptodire (neck withdrawn straight back into the shell, not swung sideways); forelimbs flipper-like.

2.

Pleurodire (neck withdrawn sideways in the horizontal plane); forelimbs not flipper-like, clawed and webbed.

Chelidae

2.

Large cornified scutes with well defined boundaries present on the shell, regular in pattern.

3.

Shell covered with a thin skin; head covered with skin with no scales present; nose forming a pig-like proboscis; two claws present on each limb.

Carettochelys insculpta
Warradjan (Pig-Nose Turtle)

3.

A series of seven prominent longitudinal ridges along the carapace (including an outer lateral pair); head covered with scales; nose typical of most turtles; no claws on limbs.

Dermochelys coriacea
Leatherback Turtle

No longitudinal ridges along the carapace present; no claws on limbs.

Cheloniidae