Northern Long-Necked Turtle

Chelodina rugosa
 
These iconic turtles inhabit various wetland habitats across the Top End, by June they are either buried in mud, aestivating to survive the dry, or have moved to permanent water bodies. C. rugosa have a unique adaptation to Top End seasonality, eggs are laid in a submerged burrow during the wet season and only hatch at the onset of heavy rainfall in the following wet, embryo development pauses for a time to ensure hatching coincides with favorable conditions.