Systematic Review on the Reproductive Aspects of the Chelidae Family

The Austro-American Side-necked Turtles originated in Gondwana and are found only in South America and Australasia. This paper aimed to review the reproductive aspects of the Chelidae family systematically. The searches were conducted in several databases, resulting in 86 studies, of which only 21 were considered adequate. The research was mainly conducted in Australia and Brazil, in both natural and laboratory settings, across different ontogenetic stages among the sixteen species studied. The analyzed publications focused on different aspects of the reproductive biology of the Chelidae family, including ecology, anatomy, morphology, behavior, and other perspectives. Thus, this study aimed to answer questions related to reproduction and the factors that can affect the preparation, mating, sexual activity, and oviposition phases, highlighting the most researched areas and those that still require attention for the conservation of these species.