Evolution, stop: a turtle lives in Australia that can breathe backwards (4 photos)

Elusor macrurus turtle became very popular in 2018 year thanks to his unusual hairstyle. Algae growing on the head made her look like some rocker with a mohawk. Then Animal rights activists say turtles are endangered due to water pollution. Elusor macrurus breathes booty and therefore doubly suffers from environmental threats.





Elusor macrurus turtles live most of their lives under water. On land, wild dogs, foxes, monitor lizards and others are waiting for them. predators. All of them are not averse to eating turtle meat. Aquatic shells turtles are not as strong as those living on land. Therefore they often become the prey of predators: both terrestrial and aquatic.

Therefore, Elusor macrurus has learned to hide in the mud. But how then breathe? All turtles breathe through their nostrils. Even water turtles forced to float to the surface to take a breath.

Without oxygen, a turtle can live underwater for about three hours, it depends on the type. But if every three hours to surface on surface, can be easily caught by predators. Evolution has solved this problem. Some turtles have learned to breathe through their skin, others have special sinuses that help absorb oxygen. Other have grown bumps on the tongue and in the oral cavity, which help absorb oxygen from the water. And here is Elusor macrurus I learned to breathe in the booty, that is, the cloaca.

Well, who does not happen!



However, in the homeland of the turtle, in Australia, it is called Mary River, after the river where she lives. The locals called her green-haired tortoise, because of the algae that grows on the shell and muzzle. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle, most of which the turtle just lies at the bottom of the river. Turtles feed on everything that swims by or sprout nearby: algae, mollusks, fish and amphibians.





And now about breathing a little more. Thin leather back The mucosa is so thin that it can absorb oxygen from the water. In other words, the turtle sucks in water with its booty, releases water from it oxygen, and releases already without it. It helps the turtles stay inconspicuous mossy pebbles.



Mary is not the first tortoise to learn how to breathe from her booty. Is there some more

Rheodytes leucops,

which can be under water for about 13 hours. Intestinal breathing a fairly common skill, it is also called enteral breathing.