NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Giant Snake-necked Turtle
Chelodina expansa Gray, 1857
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
At the Bronx Zoo
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Open encyclopedia reference
Chelodina (Chelydera) expansa, commonly known as the giant snake-necked turtle, broad-shelled turtle, broad-shelled river turtle, or broad-shelled snake-necked turtle, is a pleurodiran freshwater turtle within the family Chelidae. It is found in south-eastern and eastern Australia. It is the largest of the long-necked turtles.
Wikipedia contributors, Chelodina expansa; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:21:54.837066+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chelodina expansa Gray, 1857
- Name authority
- Gray, 1857
- Common name
- Giant Snake-necked Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Chelidae
- Genus
- Chelodina
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderPleurodira Cope, 1864
- superfamilyCheloidea Gray, 1825
- familyChelidae
- genusChelodina
- speciesChelodina expansa Gray, 1857
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chelodina. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pritchard's Snakeneck TurtleChelodina pritchardi Rhodin, 1994 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arnhem Land Long-Necked turtleChelodina burrungandjii Thomson, Kennett & Georges, 2000 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cann's Snake-necked TurtleChelodina canni Mccord & Thomson, 2002 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dinner-plate TurtleChelodina steindachneri Siebenrock, 1914 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Narrow-breasted Snake-necked TurtleChelodina oblonga Gray, 1841 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kimberley Snake-necked Turtle [walloyarrina]Chelodina kuchlingi Cann, 1997 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common Snake-necked TurtleChelodina longicollis (Shaw, 1794) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Reimann's Snakeneck TurtleChelodina reimanni Philippen & Grossmann, 1990 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parker’s Snake-necked TurtleChelodina parkeri Rhodin & Mittermeier, 1976 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| McCord's Snakeneck TurtleChelodina mccordi Rhodin, 1994 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Chelodina&species=expansa Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:69QXR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.