Terrestrial Movements of the Fresh-Water Tortoise Chelodina-Longicollis Shaw as Monitored With a Spool Tracking Device

Abstract

The freshwater tortoise Chelodina longicoflis is often found travelling over land, but no detailed information about these movements has been recorded. In this study 30 spool-and-line tracking devices were used to trace the movements of individual animals. The tracking devices were cheap, readily made, reliable, and gave precise tracings. The tortoises exhibited three types of movement: pond-to-pond, nesting, and movement involving the use of refuges. Many of the tracings were remarkably straight, indicating navigational capacity. Journeys of several hundred metres were frequently made overnight, and movements occasionally were prompted by rainfall.