The Roti Island snake-necked turtle was split from the New Guinea snake-necked turtle and regarded as distinct species in 1994 after Dr. Anders Rhodin, director of the Chelonian Research Foundation Archived 2018-05-27 at the Wayback Machine in Lunenburg (Massachusetts), found differences between the two species.

Both the specific name, mccordi, and one of the common names, McCord's snakeneck turtle, are in honor of Dr. William Patrick McCord (born 1950), a veterinarian and turtle expert[6] from Hopewell Junction, New York.

The natural habitat of Chelodina mccordi includes swamps, rice terraces, and small lakes.

The two or three remaining populations live in an area of only 70 km2 (27 square miles) in the central highlands of Rote Island.

It is still illegally captured and it is often offered on markets under the label of the New Guinea snake-necked turtle which is also legally protected.

There are some reports of predation by feral pigs (Sus scrofa)[11] and loss of habitat, but illegal capture and trade remain the primary threat.