AN AUSTRALIAN turtle has learned to breathe through its bottom. The
freshwater Fitzroy River turtle (Rheodytes leukops) breathes normally
above water, but can remain underwater for long periods by breathing through its
combined genital and excretory opening, or cloaca, Craig Franklin of the
University of Queensland, Brisbane, told the recent Society for Experimental
Biology symposium at the University of Cambridge.
As the turtle pumps water through its cloaca, oxygen is extracted by a
surrounding network of blood vessels. This allows it to remain submerged for up
to three days to avoid predatory crocodiles, Franklin says. “These turtles can
dive for…
