Irwin's turtle (Elseya irwini ) is a species of Australian turtle. The female of the species has a pale head with a yellowish horny sheath on the crown.It was named after its "co-discoverer", famed zoologist and TV personality, Steve Irwin. Steve Irwin's father, Bob Irwin, first caught the animal on a fishing line during a family camp trip in 1997. They had never seen it before. Steve Irwin took pictures and sent them to turtle-expert John Cann who verified that it was indeed a new species. This species of turtle, like some other turtles, can breathe underwater by taking water into its cloaca, a chamber with gill-like structures situated in the cloaca extracts oxygen; this enables the turtle to stay underwater for long periods without taking a breath.