The most ancient turtles. Paleontologists have discovered what the ancestor of all turtles looked like

A turtle is an animal of the chordate type, class Reptiles, order Tortoise (Testudines). These animals have existed on planet Earth for more than 220 million years.

The tortoise got its Latin name from the word “testa”, meaning “brick”, “tile” or “clay vessel”. The Russian analogue came from the Proto-Slavic word čerpaxa, which in turn came from the modified Old Slavic word “čerpъ”, “shard”.

The turtle's masonry is covered with soil on top and compacted with blows from the plastron.

Depending on the species, the number of eggs laid can be from 1 to 200. The duration of the incubation period ranges from 2 to 3 months, but in some species this period can reach six months or more.

During the mating season, a female turtle is capable of laying several clutches.

By their way of life, turtles are solitary animals and find a mate only for the mating period, although some species tend to gather in small groups for wintering.

How to care for a turtle at home?

Keeping turtles at home, both land and aquatic, is very popular today. These animals are unpretentious, and caring for turtles is very simple, so even children can look after their pets. However, you should not choose large species of turtles, which can reach more than half a meter in length, as pets. For comfortable living of reptiles in an apartment, specially equipped aquariums, terrariums or enclosures for turtles are designed, which create conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat.

The hygiene of aquatic inhabitants consists of removing algae that has grown on the shell. Land reptiles need to be bathed daily warm water with the addition of baking soda, washing away food debris and adhered soil. Overgrown tortoise claws must be shortened using a small nail file. In winter, pets need to be periodically irradiated with the rays of a quartz lamp, making a kind of sunbathing. It is necessary to ensure that the light does not shine directly into the animal’s eyes.

About feeding turtles at home is written in detail just above.

If proper care is taken at home, turtles can live up to 170 years.

  • The sex of the offspring is determined by the ambient temperature during the incubation period. At lower temperatures, males appear, and at higher temperatures, females appear.
  • Turtles became the first creatures to fly around the Moon aboard a research probe launched by Soviet Union in 1968, and returned safely. This happened a few months before the Apollo 8 mission.
  • In 2013, employees of the Dnepropetrovsk Agrarian University museum were shocked by an unprecedented incident. Several exhibit turtle eggs, which had been lying on shelves for many years, hatched into full-fledged offspring.
  • The image of a turtle is present in the heraldry of some states.
  • Unlike other reptiles, turtles are practically incapable of causing significant harm to humans. However, during mating season male snapping turtles may mistake a person for a rival and attack him. And male leatherback turtles can confuse a swimmer with a female, grab him with flippers and drag him into the depths.
  • Turtle meat is a delicious product that can be consumed either without heat treatment or fried or boiled.
  • Expensive accessories are cut from turtle shells and used to decorate women's hair.

Several different families of freshwater probably tried to explore the sea. aquatic turtles. Some people succeeded. In the middle Jurassic period The first freshwater turtles appeared. All older turtles were apparently terrestrial. At the end of the Jurassic period, some freshwater turtles made an attempt to go to sea. At first they inhabited the coastal zone, their limbs had not yet transformed into flippers. The first group of coastal sea turtles (Plesiochelyoidea) became extinct early Cretaceous period. Around the same time, real sea turtles with flippers appeared - protostegids (Protostegidae). They lived until the end of the Cretaceous period and went extinct along with the dinosaurs.

Protostegids were the only sea turtles throughout almost the entire Cretaceous period. Representatives of other groups that have survived to this day (Cheloniidae, Dermochelyidae) appeared 40–50 million years later. At this point, protostegids were dominant and cosmopolitan, while cheloniids and dermocheliids were probably restricted to coastal areas or inland seas. Apparently, they went to sea independently of the protostegids and were the third or even fourth attempt at the development of the seas by turtles.

The evolution of protostegids lasted tens of millions of years, during which they populated the seas of Europe, the USA, and Russia. These turtles chose a fairly common environmental strategy; Over time, they increased in size and became gigantic in order to feel safe. It was the protostegids that gave birth to the most gigantic turtle in the entire history of the Earth - the famous Archelon. In many books there is an old photograph of the skeleton of this turtle, where a man is standing next to it. In fact, the photo is a little confusing: the man in the photo, paleontologist George Wieland, was very short. Archelon was not as gigantic as you might think when looking at the photo. But still its size is colossal: the span of its front flippers was four and a half meters.

The most ancient representative of protostegids is considered to be a reptile from the Early Cretaceous, Barremian-Aptian deposits of Colombia - a large turtle Desmatochelys padillai with a skull about 30 cm long and a meter-long shell. The skull of another ancient protostegid was found by fossil collectors about ten years ago in the Ulyanovsk region. They say she had a beak “like a parrot.” The skull was sent to Moscow for study, but it has not yet been described. According to senior researcher I.G. Danilov, the skull, judging by the photographs, also belonged to a turtle of the type Desmatochelys.

Based on materials from Russia, only one species of Mesozoic sea turtle has been described so far. The history of its study is curious. In the mid-eighties, biology students from Leningrad State University went on a summer internship to the Forest on Vorskla nature reserve in the Belgorod region, where they studied the forest ecosystem, collected herbariums and insects. The leader L.A. Nesov decided to combine business with pleasure and took them out for additional paleontological practice. Not far from the reserve there are Lebedinsky and Stoilensky quarries, where they mine iron ore, simultaneously revealing layers of sandstones of Cretaceous age (Albian-Cenomanian), and the sandstones are rich in the remains of marine animals. The students were lucky to find several interesting specimens, including the country's first protostegid bones: a piece of lower jaw and plastron bone with the characteristic stellate shape of protostegiids. Nessov described the remains as the new kind- Russian teguliskaf ( Teguliscapha rossica). It was an early representative of protostegids, still small: about half a meter in length. Its description was published in the non-trivial collection “Comprehensive studies of biogeocenoses of forest-steppe oak forests” in 1986. As a result, the publication went unnoticed and fell out of sight of most paleontologists for thirty years.

Then the finds stopped, and only recently in Russia it was possible to find new remains of sea - and already giant - turtles from the end of the Cretaceous period. The most important discoveries were made in the spring and autumn of 2017. Excavations took place in the steppe ravines on the border of the Saratov and Volgograd regions, in the “beach deposits” of the Cretaceous period (see picture of the day Mosasaurs of the Volga region). Students from the Saratov State Technical University, hired as labor, spent almost the entire day digging in vain. There were no finds, although inexperienced excavators mistook each sandstone nodule for dinosaur bones. Finally, one young man successfully dug into the sand with a shovel and turned out a stone the size of a zucchini. At first it was mistaken for sandstone, but the stone successfully split in the middle, and the spongy structure of a reddish bone appeared on the chip. The find turned out to be half of a turtle's humerus. An hour later, another student dug up an unusual shovel. Both bones were soon identified. They belonged to protostegids, although indeterminate to genus. Their more accurate systematic position currently being confirmed.

That same summer, several more turtle bones were found in the rafters. One plate of the shell showed bite marks: someone tried to eat the turtle, and possibly successfully.

Saratov protostegids were of very respectable size. From the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, their length exceeded two meters. There are no traces of horny grooves (scutes) on the bone plates - apparently, the shells of the Volga protostegids were already covered with soft skin, although, perhaps, the traces were simply not imprinted.

It is difficult to judge the diet of extinct turtles. Most turtles have no teeth, and their jaws are covered with horny sheaths. Unfortunately, horny sheaths are not preserved in the geological record, and bone structures only partially reflect their structure. Protostegids probably ate like modern sea turtles and occupied a rather unusual ecological niche. Modern sea turtles eat anything except fish because they cannot catch it: their heads are too large and their necks are too slow. Unlike sea turtles, freshwater turtles are omnivores, and some are specialized specifically for fishing. Modern sea turtles feed on algae and shellfish. The leatherback turtle preys on clumsy jellyfish. Protostegids probably fed mainly on molluscs - ammonites and oysters.

However, among the extinct sea turtles there were also extremely unusual shapes. For example, ocepechelone ( Ocepechelon) from Late Cretaceous deposits (Maastrichtian) of Morocco. She has a gigantic skull - 70 centimeters in length. Apart from the skull, nothing survived. The upper jaw of the turtle (the lower jaw was not found) forms a massive tube about 6 centimeters in diameter. The turtle probably sucked in fry and krill through it. Perhaps it was “vacuuming” prey in dense thickets of algae or among corals. Judging by the skull, she had strong jaw muscles to create a powerful suction thrust.

The locomotion of ancient turtles is also judged mainly by analogy with modern ones, which swim using the “underwater flight” technique: with their front flippers they write “eights”, like owls, and their back flippers are used as a rudder. Perhaps protostegids also swam this way. It is possible to calculate and clarify the biomechanics, since complete skeletons of protostegids are known, but no one has done this yet.

Saratov protostegids turned out to be close to American sea turtles and became another confirmation of the hypothesis that extinct reptiles of the Mesozoic, like modern cetaceans, easily crossed the spaces of the World Ocean. Similar genera spread throughout the planet, and the species diversity of sea turtles was generally low.

Illustration © Andrey Atuchin.

Anton Nelikhov

Ancient turtles
About 200 million years ago, during the Triassic period, the ancestors of modern turtles lived on Earth side by side with dinosaurs. Turtle species Triassochelys, which lived during this period, was indeed similar to modern turtles, it grew to at least 90 cm, but unlike our turtles it had teeth. Later, 70 million years ago, in the seas of the Cretaceous period there were giant turtles, larger than any of the modern ones, which reached a length of 3.3 m, and their diameter at the widest point was 3.6 m!

The oldest turtle

was discovered in northeastern Brazil. The twenty-centimeter sea turtle lived about 110 million years ago - ten million years older than all previously known representatives of this group.

Common with birds, although closer to crocodiles

Turtles have some things in common with birds, but in the reptile group they are closer to crocodiles than to snakes or lizards. Their jaws are devoid of teeth, although some species of turtles are voracious predators and they lay eggs like birds, but their shells contain less calcium than the shells of bird eggs.

Two hundred varieties

Today, there are two hundred varieties of turtles, which are common in the warm regions of the planet.

Fast and slow

Freshwater turtles move quickly and agilely both in the water and on land. Marines look clumsy on land, but in water their movements can be compared in beauty and ease to the flight of birds. Only land species are slow. Land turtles move actively only when there is sufficient high temperature when the processes in their body proceed at normal speed.

But on the Fiji islands, the turtle is considered a symbol of speed and superior navigational abilities. She is depicted on the official letterhead of the Marine Department. Only these are not land turtles, but sea turtles. These include Ridley (Lepidochelys).

Able to hold their breath underwater for up to 10 hours

Sea turtles can hold their breath underwater for up to 10 hours and 14 minutes. This is an absolute record among vertebrates existing on Earth. The previous achievement, also established by sea turtles, was much more modest - 7 hours 25 minutes. This conclusion was reached as a result of a painstaking study carried out over five years. During this period, scientists established observations in the waters Mediterranean Sea for the behavior of 10 green and 10 loggerhead turtles.

Excellent hearing, vision and sense of smell

Charles Darwin, who claimed that turtles were deaf, was wrong. Recent electrophysiological studies of turtle hearing have shown that they have excellent hearing, especially low-pitched sounds. Aquatic turtles have hearing almost as sensitive as cats. There are stories of sea turtles emerging from the water to sing for a long time.

Turtles have good sharp vision(at least on close range), perceive almost the entire spectrum of colors (including the one that we see, and even more). They respond well to bright colors - white, red, yellow. But they do not pay any attention to blue, cyan and violet tones.

In turtles, the sense of smell plays an important role; with its help, turtles not only find food, but also communicate with relatives, and even navigate the territory.

Rely on smell and hearing

Aquatic reptiles (crocodiles, alligators, turtles) rely heavily on senses such as smell and hearing to track prey, find a mate, or detect the approach of an enemy. Their vision plays an auxiliary role and operates only at close range, visual images are blurry, and there is no ability to focus on stationary objects for a long time.

Smart turtles

Scientists conducted an experiment: they placed a feeder in front of different animals, and then moved it along a special rail and suddenly lowered the screen. The animals had to figure out where the food had gone. Not everyone succeeded. The pigeons and voles couldn't cope. The rabbits, deprived of food, jumped without knowing where. The chickens were looking for the grains they had just pecked where they had disappeared. The ducks, looking for food, tried to get to it through the wooden partition, not realizing that this was impossible. But the turtles walked along the screen, went behind it and calmly continued their breakfast.

turtle shell

The shell, which covers the entire body of the turtle with the exception of the head, paws and tail, distinguishes it from all vertebrates. Top part The shell, called a shield or carapace, is usually domed in land turtles and flatter in turtles that live primarily in water, to reduce water pressure. The shield on the sides of the body is connected to the lower part of the shell, the plastron.
consists of bone, on top of its scutes are covered with horny plates. For fixation, the ribs, vertebrae, pelvic and shoulder girdles are fused with the shell. The holes in the shell are positioned so that the limbs can be easily retracted.

Shell shape

The appearance of the shells depends on the environment. The shape of the shell is an amazing invention of nature for passive protection turtles - depends on the lifestyle of these animals. The carapace of land turtles is usually high, dome-shaped, often uneven; individual scutes can have the shape of small domes or pyramids. The carapace of turtles living in an aquatic environment that is denser than air is usually flattened, smooth, streamlined, and has a small dome shape. Sea turtles have gone even further in adapting to the aquatic environment; their shell is drop-shaped, the most perfect shape for achieving high speed in water.

The jaws of turtles do not have teeth, but are equipped with powerful horny edges. The outer blade of these edges is quite sharp, and the jaw muscles are very strong. Turtles easily bite off pieces of even dense plant tissue and deftly grab moving prey. The front legs with strong claws make it possible to hold plants and caught animals while eating, and if necessary, dismembering them into easily swallowed pieces successfully copes with this procedure.

In aquatic animals they are flat and flattened, in land animals they are denser and thicker. In the same species of turtles different conditions there may be a different structure of the shells. The shell can be massive, low, light, narrow, miniature, saddle-shaped. Their shape depends on the environment - the result of adaptation.

The largest sea turtles

Sea turtles are the largest of all turtles. Real giants in the world of reptiles! An adult turtle can even cope with a shark.

The fastest among reptiles

Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the fastest among reptiles, it reaches a speed of movement in water of 35 km/h. Its mass can reach up to 450 kg, body length ranges from 1.8 to 2.1 m, and width at the level of the front flippers is 2.1 m. A male found dead on the beach in Harlech, UK, in 1988, had a general length 2.91 m, width 2.77 m and weight 961.1 kg.

The leatherback turtle is also the best diver among turtles. In May 1987 Dr. Scott Eckert reported that a leatherback turtle wearing a pressure-recording device reached a depth of 1,200 m near the Virgin Islands.

The largest land turtle

The largest land-based members of the order Turtles are those living in the Galapagos Islands, off the west coast of northern South America, and the Aldabra Islands and Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. Land turtles live in deserts, steppes, and forests. They enter the water only for swimming and often while sleeping. Their shell is more massive than that of other turtles.

The largest living elephant turtle (Geochelone elephantopus elephantopus), called Goliath, is known, it is located in the reserve in Seisner, PC. Florida, USA, since 1960. Its length is 135.5 cm, width 102 cm, height 68.5 cm, and weight 385 kg.

Giant tortoises live for 200 years or more, so perhaps we can still see the same tortoises that Charles Darwin met 160 years ago. In his time, the islands were home to a population of 250,000 turtles, with 14 species. Today, 15,000 remain, three species are extinct and a fourth is critically endangered, with only one turtle of this species known.

Giant tortoises are vegetarians, eating fruits, cacti, bromeliads and other plants, and sometimes eating insects and carrion. They are able to live for many months without food or water.

Depends on temperature

Like other reptiles, turtles lack the ability to directly control their body temperature and are considered cold-blooded by the general public. But this is not entirely true: they die very quickly if the ambient temperature is much higher than the temperature range they are accustomed to. Indeed, temperature is a critical factor for the successful keeping of turtles in captivity.

Large turtles maintain stable body temperatures

Reptiles are characterized as cold-blooded animals, but this is not entirely accurate. Their body temperature is mainly determined environment, but in many cases they can regulate it and, if necessary, maintain it for more high level. When it is necessary to increase their body temperature, reptiles usually bask in the sun, absorbing its heat through the entire surface of their skin. When they start to overheat, they tend to retreat into the shade.

Some species are able to generate and retain heat within their own body tissues.
Large reptiles can maintain a more stable body temperature because their massive bodies contain more heat and have thicker skin and fat layers.

May starve

An elephant turtle can fast for up to 18 months.

The smallest turtle

U common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) The length of the carapace of an adult is on average 7.6 cm, and the weight is only 227 g.

Smallest sea turtle
Adult carapace length Atlantic ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is 50-70 cm, and the maximum weight is 80 kg.

The oldest turtle

A turtle has achieved the longest accurately determined life expectancy. Astrochelysradiata. In 1773 (1777) the individual was presented as a gift to the ruling clan of the Tonga Islands by Captain Cook. The turtle was named Tui Malila and lived to be at least 188 years old, until 1965.

Traveling Turtles

The farthest journey made by a sea animal... committed by a loggerhead sea turtle, or carriage (Caretta caretta), which was tagged and released near the California Peninsula, Mexico, in an experiment conducted at the University of Arizona, USA, was discovered 10,459 km off the coast of Japan.

The Mystery of the Migrating Sea Turtle

The sea turtle can use the Earth's magnetic field as a compass and map. The phenomenal ability of green has been experimentally confirmed sea ​​turtle (Chelonia mydas) feel the slightest changes in the Earth's magnetic field. The researchers used a giant magnetic coil the height of a two-story house, which they installed next to the aquarium.

During the experiment, scientists changed the magnetic field, trying to give it parameters similar to two areas in the north and south of Florida, and the area where the turtles were caught was located exactly in the middle between the “poles.” The reptiles, exposed to the magnetism inherent in the northern areas, swam south, while the “southerners” moved north.

In each case, the turtles swam towards the house as if they were in a place where the corresponding magnetic field actually existed. By the way, it was previously discovered that moles use a magnetic field in a similar way, and birds are helped by an internal magnetic compass.

Natural enemies

Birds of prey drop turtles from a height onto rocks and peck them out of their cracked shells. Cases are described when foxes pushed turtles from ledges onto stones for the same purpose. The jaguar in South America scoops turtles out of their natural fortress so cleanly that travelers have compared the results of his work with the results of working with a thin, sharp knife. At the same time, the jaguar prepares several turtles for its meal, turning them over on their backs, always on a level place without vegetation, where it is difficult to catch their head and legs on something in order to turn over and crawl away.

Turtles do not chew their food

... and the chewing movements visible to the observer from the outside serve only to move the piece captured in the mouth into the pharynx. Language also actively participates in this movement. Given the sharp edges of the jaws with their cutting edge, as well as the powerful muscles of the head, the terrarium enthusiast should still be quite careful with these mostly peaceful animals.

Don't give up meat

In nature, turtles also eat bird chicks, various invertebrates, and even carrion. Therefore, experts advise including minced meat or pieces of fresh meat in the menu of pet turtles, adding them to the fruit and vegetable mixture.

Aggressors in the world of turtles

Land species are calm and not aggressive, while aquatic species are more active and tend to bite. Large aquatic turtles with carapaces over 20 cm long can pinch your hand quite hard, sometimes causing blood. As a rule, turtles become active during the mating season.

The exception is Far Eastern turtle: even tiny individuals of this species bite strongly, and specimens longer than 15 cm are already dangerous. Clutching the hand, the Far Eastern tortoise powerfully squeezes its jaws, clenching them convulsively.

There are many turtles in the world that are simply dangerous to humans, including caiman and vulture. Famous snapping turtles Chelydra serpentina very biting: they grab snakes, birds on the shore and in the water, there were cases when they bit off the fingers of people swimming.

These are large turtles with a shell up to 35 cm long and weighing up to 14 kg. The turtle's menacing appearance is given by its sharp jaws and short beak. This look matches its aggressive character. When defending itself, it actively throws out its head on its long neck and bites. He loves to hunt: he guards his prey for a long time and quickly grabs approaching animals with his mouth - be it fish, all kinds of small animals, even waterfowl.

Can kill large animals

Trionyx Trionyx cartilagineus- a terribly biting soft-bodied turtle. A hungry flock of adult reptiles can bite a large animal to death.

Fierce Ridley

It is up to 80 centimeters long and feeds on both plant and animal foods. His temper is quite ferocious. When she is fished out of the water, Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) causes a lot of trouble: bites through oars and hands, rushes at people.

Delayed conception

There is documented evidence that females of different species box turtle become fertilized 7 years after mating with a male.

The largest eggs

... put off giant tortoises (Geochelone elephantopus and G. gigantea), living on the Galapagos Islands Their eggs are the same size as chicken eggs, and their maturation continues for 40 years or more until they reach their maximum size. They reach a length of 1.5 m and can weigh 255 kg.

Take care of yourself from birth
After laying eggs in the sand and rotting leaves, the turtles leave, exposing them to the sun. After some time, small turtles hatch. They pierce the shell with the help of a pointed growth on the snout, which soon falls off. From birth they must take care of themselves. And from birth they look the same as adults.

Only one out of a thousand
After mating, sea turtles wait until nightfall and come ashore. They dig holes in the sand and lay eggs there. The sun warms them, and soon many small turtles crawl out of the sand at the same time and immediately run to the sea. Along the way, they are eaten by seagulls and crabs; in the sea, the babies are also threatened by predators. Only one in a thousand turtles will be able to return to the beach where they were born to continue their lineage.

In captivity they do not feel discomfort
There is an opinion that some species of turtles, in particular the Central Asian one, go blind and die in captivity. Just the opposite. In captivity, these turtles do not feel discomfort; with a clear regime, they quickly get used to the new place and time of feeding. They most readily eat lettuce, dandelion, the pulp of watermelons and melons, as well as cabbage, apples, and carrots. The most important thing for them is an abundance of warmth and light. For the winter, it is useful to put them into hibernation (a box with sand at a temperature of +1-5).

Fishing kills turtles
Every year, one in three sea turtles are killed as a result of fishing, and some populations may become extinct within just a few decades. International trade in turtles is prohibited, but some fishermen kill them for their meat and eggs. In some Mexican villages, cesspools are filled with turtle shells. Many of their brethren die as by-catch - being caught in the net by accident.

The scientists monitored 50 satellite-tagged green, vulture and leatherback turtles for a total of 6,000 days (300 days per turtle). Six of them were caught and brought to land - 31% of the total in a time equivalent to a year. The same percentage of turtles die every year around the world.

Capable of starving for years

Land turtles are very hardy; If we talk about the frequency of food intake, land animals may not eat food (we are, of course, talking about healthy animals kept in conditions suitable for them) for weeks or months. Cases of turtles starving for years have been described.

Very gluttonous
Aquatic turtles, as carnivores, are more impatient with food. Young individuals kept in an aquarium are very voracious; they are ready to eat with appetite every day, and several times a day. Larger aquatic turtles living in pools are ready to consume food daily, but can also go hungry for weeks, even more than a month. A case is described in which a marsh turtle lived for more than five years without eating. :

Over the past 200 million, turtles have remained virtually unchanged.

Tenacious like a turtle
With its head broken to rags, a turtle can live and move for tens of days!). And one experimental specimen with its brain removed lived for six months.

Centenarians.
150 years is the normal age for a land turtle. Sometimes they live 200 years or more.

Strongmen
Some species are amazing in their strength: the green sea turtle can carry as many people as can fit on its shell.

Can crawl on ice
Snapping turtles are not afraid of the cold and can crawl on ice.

Breeding rituals
Recently, oviposition sites for ridleys were found on the coast of Mexico. Once at Cape Kennedy, on the night when the next space flight was being prepared, numerous service personnel, security guards, and journalists, in the light of searchlights, saw 12 sea giants that had climbed onto the sandy shore.

Not paying attention to the people, the animals acted out a scene from one of the oldest performances in the world: each female dug a half-meter hole with her hind legs and laid 100-200 eggs. Then the holes were filled in, and the areas above them were carefully “harrowed” for better camouflage, although in front of so many people this did not make sense. Having finished laying, the turtles went into the water, where the males were waiting for them. They headed back to where they had come from, some 1000 kilometers away, each to their own pasture. Ridleys travel such vast distances to lay eggs somewhere on a sand spit without any guarantee of safety for the offspring.

Barrier to ships
Ridleys, sailing hundreds of kilometers, gathering in flocks along the way, were so numerous in the time of Columbus that they became an obstacle for ships. Nowadays, a ship with the Ceylonese zoologist Deraniyagala on board met a whole caravan of ridleys, stretching out to sea for 108 kilometers! The turtles swam at a distance of 200 meters from each other, but all in the same direction.

Lifespan of a turtle

The average lifespan of a gigantic tortoise is 40-50 years, the maximum is over 100 years. The giant elephant tortoise, believed to be the oldest living creature on the planet, celebrated its 175th birthday. The hypothesis that this turtle belonged to Darwin rests on the claim that it is one of the four giant tortoises found by Darwin during his voyage to Galapagos Islands in 1835. All four turtles were loaded on board the Beagle, on which they arrived in Plymouth.

The oldest animal is the Madagascar radiated tortoise named Tui Malila. She was given as a gift royal family Tonga by Captain Cook. When she died in 1965, she was at least 188 years old.

Turtle navigation

Over 300 years, seafarers destroyed about 10 million turtles

Thanks to them, many geographical discoveries were made in the last century: turtles provided food (that is, with themselves) for entire flotillas. These giants include the Galapagos elephant tortoise, after which the islands were named Pacific Ocean. Once upon a time there were such a large number of that pirates and fishermen made a decent detour on their travels only to fill their holds with turtle meat.

After examining ship logs stored in the Library of Congress, scientists calculated that from 1831 to 1868, only 79 whaling ships took 13,013 turtles from the Galapagos Islands! According to a rough estimate, over 300 years, seafarers destroyed about 10 million individuals!

Land tortoises are not very fertile (a female Galapagos elephant tortoise lays 20 eggs per year). But they are distinguished by the fact that they live a long time (100-200 years) and are very hardy: the Galapagos elephant tortoise spent up to 12-13 months in ship holds without food and water, without showing signs of exhaustion.

The Mystery of the Galapagos Tortoises
One of the mysteries - how they got to the Galapagos Islands - is still unanswered. There were suggestions that they swam, since the Galapagos elephant is a good swimmer. But from the salty sea ​​water the turtle dies. There are also guesses that they were brought by people, but this is only a hypothesis.

Turtles vs. Vultures (video)

Turtles are one of the oldest breeds of reptiles, which began to exist approximately 220 million years ago. They live in both sea and land, and they have bony shells that evolved to protect them from predators. There are about 300 different species of turtles different forms and sizes, but some are a little more unique than others...

spiny turtle

The spiny turtle - Heosemys spinosa - has an amazing shell and lives in southeast Asia. Like many other turtle species, the spiny turtle is hunted for food and as a result, and due to the destruction of its habitat, its numbers have plummeted in recent times.

The turtle's shell is tooth-shaped with spikes on the edge. In young individuals the spines are very sharp, but with age they become more rounded. The spines deter predators from attacking young turtles, and they also act as a form of camouflage, disguising the turtle as fallen leaves. The brown color also helps imitate leaves.

Chinese soft-shell turtle

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle excretes urine through its mouth. This is a strange process that has never been observed before in any other animal. This unique ability has helped the turtle survive in salt water, since it does not lose much fluid from its body and does not need to constantly replenish it. If she swallows too much salt water, she will be poisoned. Instead, urine is passed through the mouth, which is then rinsed with water. Only six percent of the urine produced by a turtle is passed through the kidneys.

Like most turtles, the Chinese turtle is a delicacy in many parts of Asia. There are more than 1,500 turtle farms in China, which sell more than 90 million turtles a year. Due to its high culinary demand, this species of turtle is now listed as endangered. These turtles live in China, Japan, Taiwan, Northern Vietnam and eastern Russia. They have also been introduced in other areas such as Malaysia, Hawaii, and even California.

Mary River Turtle

The Mary River turtle is found exclusively in the Mary River in Queensland, Australia. Its color can be red, pink, brown or black. Its head is small and its tail is long compared to the rest of its body, it can grow almost to the length of its shell. There are long projections under the chin called antennae. Female Mary River turtles reach maturity within 25 years, males - 30, which is a very long period for turtles.

The turtle often comes out of the water to breathe, but it can also obtain oxygen in the water. Oxygen enters her body through organs located in her tail. Turtle spends most her life in the river, allowing algae to grow on her body. She uses algae as camouflage. In the picture, the algae on the turtle's head looks like hair, giving it the nickname "punk rock turtle."

Spiny softshell turtle

The spiny softshell turtle is native to the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico. It has a unique appearance, with a round head and a flat, round shell covered in black spots. These spots are pronounced in young turtles, but they disappear with age. The turtle has a long, thin nose and knob-like projections on the front of its shell.

Sexual differences in the offspring of the spiny soft-shelled turtle are determined genetically. In most other turtle species, sex depends on the temperature of the sand in which the eggs were laid.

Eastern long-necked turtle

The eastern long-necked turtle, found in lakes in Australia, has extremely Long neck Compared to other species, it can grow to the length of its shell. The neck is so long that the turtle has to pull it into its shell rather than stick it out. This species is also known as the "snake-necked turtle" because the head and neck resemble a snake. It also has a similar hunting method, quickly straightening its neck to strike its prey.

If there is any threat, the turtle secretes a foul-smelling liquid from its glands. The radius of action of these secretions is about a meter (three feet), so all animals nearby flee. The turtle spends most of its life on land.

Knobby humpback turtle

Knobby humpback turtle - Graptemys nigrinoda - small water turtle, living in freshwater rivers Mississippi and Alabama. The most characteristic feature of this turtle is the small number of spines on its shell, which become less pronounced in adult turtles. The lower part of the shell is covered beautiful patterns, they are usually light gray or blue. The turtle's diet consists mainly of insects, which it collects from the surface of the river.

Loggerhead turtle

The loggerhead turtle lives in Southeast Asia. A characteristic feature of this species is (you guessed it) a huge head. She has a smooth, sloping shell Brown. Unlike other turtle species, it cannot retract its head into its shell, so it has a bony “helmet” to protect its exposed head. The turtle often uses its powerful jaws to protect itself from threats.

The loggerhead turtle often climbs trees and hills, using its large beak, claws and muscular tail to grasp various objects. They have become an endangered species due to overhunting. Turtles are commonly eaten in Asia and are also caught and sold.

"Turtle with Piglet"

The snout tortoise is native to Guinea and Australia. It is the only freshwater turtle that has flippers like sea turtles, but its most notable distinguishing feature is its nose, which resembles a pig's snout. The nose can act as a breathing tube, protruding above the surface of the water. It is also quite sensitive to movement and is used to detect prey in turbid waters.

Unfortunately, the total number of loggerhead turtles has almost halved over the past 50 years due to smuggling: they are caught in large quantities for the exotic pet trade. Turtle populations are in steep decline on the island of New Guinea, where they are also harvested for meat. This species of turtle is the last known species of the two-clawed family. Fortunately, Australia and Indonesia are taking action to conserve this species.

Red-bellied short-necked turtle

The red-bellied short-necked turtle, Emydura subglobosa, is native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Their shell is orange around the edges and on the bottom of the shell (much brighter in young turtles). The color fades as they get older, but the orange markings can be clearly seen on an adult turtle.

These turtles spend most of their lives in the water, only emerging to nest or bask. When she is basking in the sun, she can make angular movements that cause her tears to flow down her face and into her mouth, which she opens and closes (this is very similar to what a dog does when thirsty).

African jellyfish

The African pelojellyfish lives on African continent and is widespread from Ghana to Cape Town. This turtle is also found in Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula. The turtle produces a strong odor from four glands located on its limbs, which is intolerable to horses and humans. When females lay eggs, they choose a spot and urinate in it to soften the surface of the ground, thereby making it easier for them to dig.

The feeding behavior of African jellyfish is also remarkable. They are hunting big catch- pigeons, snakes, other turtles - in groups. This is the only species of turtle that hunts in packs.

Indian bladed turtle

The Indian lobed turtle - Lissemys punctata - has dermal lobes under its shell that hide its limbs when they are retracted. It is not known exactly how the blades protect the turtle from predators. This species is found in rivers, lakes and swamps of southern Asia.

Turtles are very ancient creatures. To some extent, they are descendants of some species of dinosaurs.

There are a huge variety of turtles. They are divided into species, subspecies, orders, suborders. Many are already extinct, and some are on the verge of extinction. Some turtles can be kept in the house, but some are simply not meant for this.

Today we will try to understand all the diversity and types of turtles.

There are a huge variety of turtle species. In total there are more than 328 species, which are included in 14 families.

The tortoise order consists of two suborders, divided by the way the animal retracts its head into its shell:

  1. Hidden-necked turtles with necks folded into an "S" shape
  2. Side-necked turtles with their head tucked toward one of their front legs

This is the simplest division. I will not give an official division into all types and subspecies here. For this we can read Wikipedia. The purpose of this article is not to confuse you, but to give the most convenient and simple classification. Therefore, we will divide turtles by habitat.

According to the habitat of turtles, there is the following classification:

  • Sea turtles (live in seas and oceans)
  • Terrestrial turtles (live on land or in fresh water)

In turn, terrestrial turtles last for:

  • Land turtles
  • Freshwater turtles

Types of sea turtles

Sea turtles are inhabitants of salt waters. Unlike their earthly relatives they differ large size. They live in warm tropical waters, practically never visiting cold latitudes.

Sea turtles have remained virtually unchanged for millions of years since they appeared on the planet. They are characterized by developed forelimbs, used as flippers, and hind legs that are almost not involved in movement. Also, in sea turtles, the limbs cannot be retracted into the shell. Moreover, some species, such as the leatherback turtle, have no shell at all.

Despite the popular belief that turtles are slow animals, this is only the case on land, where they really look clumsy. However, in the water they are transformed, becoming examples of speed and superior navigator qualities. Even in Fiji (a state in the Pacific Ocean), the sea turtle is a symbol of the marine department. This is no accident - nature really rewarded these animals with qualities that allowed them to become excellent swimmers.

In addition, scientists have not fully figured out why, but turtles have amazing navigational abilities:

  • Firstly, they accurately determine the place of their birth, and return exactly there to continue their offspring. And even after many years they remember the place of their birth.
  • Secondly, sea turtles undergo enormous migrations, presumably guided by magnetic field Earth, which prevents them from getting lost.
  • And thirdly, some sea turtles, for example, the Ridley turtle, gather to lay eggs in the sand only on one day a year. Scientists suggest that only those individuals that were born in this particular place and were lucky enough to survive gather on the beach. Locals call this day "invasion" when thousands of turtles emerge from the water. This behavior suggests a collective consciousness among turtles.

When the turtle lays her eggs, she very carefully buries the eggs with sand, compacts it, and makes it invisible. Looking at such care for the eggs, it is difficult to imagine that the mother turtle does not experience any maternal feelings, and having done her job, returns to the ocean without waiting for the eggs to hatch.

The hatched turtle will likely live less than 10 minutes. Having got out of the sand, she rushes to the water, on the way to which a huge number of enemies, primarily birds of prey, await her. But even after reaching water, most of them will be eaten sea ​​predators. Only one in a hundred turtles born will reach adulthood and return to this beach to continue their lineage.

Based on materials from: inokean.ru

The most famous representatives sea ​​turtles:

  • Leatherback turtle
  • Green (soup sea turtle)
  • Loggerhead sea turtle (false carriage turtle)
  • Hawksbill sea turtle (true caretta)
  • ridley (olive turtle)

Types of land turtles

Terrestrial turtles make up the largest group in terms of the number of species included in it. This includes the family of land turtles, which has 37 species, as well as the two most large families freshwater turtles(85 species).

Terrestrial turtles also include many families, including 1-2 species.

Spread throughout the roast and temperate zone(except Australia). Swamp turtles live in the steppe zone of Russia and the Caucasus.
Includes 5–7 species inhabiting the Mediterranean, the Balkan Peninsula, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia.

Terrestrial turtles are herbivores. This is one of the few examples of the development of only plant foods among turtles. Serves them as food green grass and vegetation, with which they receive the necessary portion of water. In the habitats of many species, food and water are available only for short periods.

In such places, turtles spend most of their lives hibernating. Thanks to this slow metabolism, the life expectancy of turtles is very long, up to 100 - 150 years.

The most famous representatives of land turtles:

  • Galapagos elephant tortoise
  • Elastic turtle
  • Steppe tortoise
  • Elephant turtle
  • Wood turtle

Types of land turtles

Land turtles, like freshwater turtles, belong to the species of terrestrial turtles.

Let's start with the land ones - a family of turtles with 11-13 genera, including about forty species.

Land animals with a high, less often flattened, shell, with thick columnar legs. The toes are fused together, and only the short claws remain free. The head and legs are covered with scutes and scales.

Among land turtles there are both small species, about 12 cm long, and giant ones, up to a meter or more in length. Gigantic species live only on a few islands (Galapagos, Seychelles, etc.). Specimens are known that have reached about 400 kg of live weight in captivity.

Compared to freshwater turtles, land turtles are very slow and clumsy, so in case of danger they do not try to escape, but hide in their shells. Another method of defense used by many land turtles is the sudden emptying of a very capacious bladder. When in danger, the Central Asian turtle hisses like a viper.

They are distinguished by phenomenal vitality and longevity. Life expectancy in different species ranges from 50 to 100 years, sometimes up to 150.

Land turtles are primarily herbivores, but their diet must include a certain amount of animal food. They can go for a very long time without water and food, and in the presence of succulent vegetation they do not need water at all, but they drink it willingly, especially in the heat.

The most popular are the Central Asian and Mediterranean turtles. It's better to take a young turtle. This can be easily determined by the size of the shell (it is small) and behavior (reaction, better in young turtles).

Based on materials from: so-sha.narod.ru

The most famous representatives of land turtles:

  • Panther turtle
  • Yellow-footed turtle
  • Yellow-headed turtle
  • Red footed turtle
  • Radiant turtle
  • Steppe (Central Asian) turtle
  • Mediterranean (Caucasian, Greek)

Types of freshwater turtles

Freshwater turtles are the largest family of turtles, comprising 31 genera and 85 species. These are small and medium-sized animals, the shell of which in most cases is low and has a rounded oval streamlined shape.

Their limbs are usually swimming, have more or less developed membranes and are armed with sharp claws. The head is covered on top with smooth skin, only sometimes there are small shields on the back of the head. Many species have very bright, beautiful colors of the head and legs, and often the shell.

The family is distributed unusually widely - in Asia, Europe, North Africa, North and South America. There are two main nodes in their geography. The main, most ancient center lies in Southeast Asia, where more than 20 genera are concentrated; the second center apparently formed later in eastern North America, where 8 genera of freshwater turtles are found.

Most species are aquatic inhabitants, inhabiting bodies of water with weak currents. They move deftly both in water and on land, and feed on a variety of animal and plant foods. Only individual species switched to living on land for the second time, which affected their appearance and behavior. Although carnivory is characteristic of aquatic turtles, some species are strict vegetarians.

Just like land animals, they should be kept in terrariums, but only in special ones. You need a heated lamp, a “bank” where the turtle should go out to warm up, and actual water.

Trionics is a representative of the family of soft-bodied turtles.

It inhabits the Amur basin within Russia (which is the extreme northern limit of its range) almost from the mouth and south to the western part of Primorye, Eastern China, North Korea, Japan, as well as Hainan Island, Taiwan. Introduced to Hawaii.

Lives in fresh water bodies. Most active at dusk and at night. During the day it often basks on the shore. In case of danger, it instantly disappears into the water, burying itself in the bottom silt. It feeds on fish, amphibians, insects, mollusks and worms.

Also, red-eared turtles are very popular. Representatives of the genus can be found south of North America, Southern and Central Europe, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.

The turtle got its name from the two elongated bright red spots behind its eyes. This spot may be bright yellow in the Cumberland turtle subspecies or yellow in the yellow-bellied turtle subspecies. The plastron is oval, usually dark in color with yellow lines and a yellow edging around the edge.

The most famous representatives of freshwater turtles:

  • Side-necked turtle

Unofficial division of turtles

These divisions are not included in the official ones, but I believe that it is worth dividing them according to these criteria to make your choice easier.

Types of pet turtles

Here again we will divide for convenience into land and freshwater turtles.

Land pet turtles

The most common type of turtle. Those turtles that we are used to seeing among our friends, acquaintances, and relatives. Moves slowly and a little awkwardly, waddling.

By the way, it is officially listed in the Red Book and prohibited for sale. But, as we see, most pet stores circumvent this ban.

In nature, it lives in southern, warm regions, in agricultural and desert areas of Central Asia. The sizes are medium, the shell is 20-30 centimeters long, yellow-brown in color with dark zones on the scutes. The limbs have four fingers.

The most comfortable temperature for keeping in a terrarium is 24-30 degrees. However, being in a closed space has a detrimental effect on the health and psychological state of the animal, and it dies early. Not in vain Central Asian turtle placed in the Red Book!

This breed has about 20 subspecies, living in various landscapes and climatic zones. Basically it's North Africa, southern Europe and South-West Asia, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, Dagestan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan.

Accordingly, it loves warmth and sunlight. Depending on the subspecies, it has different sizes and colors of the shell. The dimensions of the shell reach up to 35 centimeters. Color – brown-yellow with dark splashes. On the back of the thighs there is a horny tubercle. There are 5 toes on the front paws, and spurs on the hind paws. Comfortable temperature for keeping in an aquarium is 25-30 degrees.

Externally similar to Mediterranean turtles, but much less. The dimensions of the shell are 15-20 centimeters (according to some sources – 30 centimeters). The color of the shell is yellow-brown with black spots. At a young age it is bright, but fades over the years.

A characteristic feature of this species is the conical spike at the end of the tail. Individuals living in the west are smaller than individuals living in the east.

At all, this type lives in Southern Europe, along the Mediterranean coast: northeastern Spain, the European part of Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Balearic Islands, Corsica, the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian coasts of Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, as well as the Greek islands. Comfortable temperature for keeping in a terrarium is 26-32 degrees.

These turtles are very small. Their shell size is only about 12 centimeters. Yellow in color, shields with a dark border. There are no spurs on the hind legs.

Habitat: Mediterranean coast of Israel, Egypt, Libya. If you decide to get such a turtle, then remember that the temperature in the terrarium should be about 24-30 degrees. A characteristic feature of the behavior of the Egyptian tortoise is that, like an ostrich, it quickly buries itself in the sand when danger approaches.


Freshwater pet turtles

The most common species of freshwater turtles, which can be found in terrariums and aquariums of urban residents. It includes approximately 15 subspecies and belongs to the genus of decorated (lined, painted) turtles. They call her that because she is the main one distinctive feature– a red spot near the ears (yellow in some subspecies).

The shell is 18-30 centimeters long. In youth it has a bright green shell color, which darkens with age. There are bright green stripes on the head and limbs. Males differ from females in their larger and more massive tail and nail plate.

In nature they live in the USA (Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico), Mexico and other countries Central America and the Caribbean, in South America (Colombia, Venezuela).

Can also be found in Australia, South Africa, Arizona, Guadeloupe, Israel, Spain, and Great Britain. Lives in lakes and ponds with marshy shores. Leads a sedentary and lazy lifestyle. For comfortable living in your terrarium, maintain the water temperature 22-28 degrees, air temperature – 30-32 degrees.

There are 13 subspecies of the European marsh turtle. Their carapace is low, convex, and smooth. They reach a length of up to 35 centimeters and a weight of up to one and a half kilograms.

The carapace is dark green or dark olive in color, the plastron is light. Small spots on the head, neck, shell and paws (yellow specks). The claws on the paws are quite large, and there are membranes between the toes. In adult turtles, the length of the tail is up to ¾ the size of the shell, and in small turtles it is even longer!

Meet a European swamp turtle possible on the territory of Russia (Crimea, Yaroslavl region, Smolensk, Bryansk, Tula, Oryol, Belgorod, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Samara, Saratov region, upper Don, Mari El Republic, Trans-Urals, central and southern regions), Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, Central and Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Asia, Turkey, northern Iran and northwest Africa.

In its natural habitat it prefers ponds and lakes with muddy bottoms. Activity occurs during the daytime. The water temperature in the terrarium is 22-25 degrees, the air temperature is 30. The species is listed in the Red Book.

Reaches a total length of up to 30 centimeters (25 centimeters of which is the shell). The carapace is flat, oval, brown-green in color with yellow stripes. There are also stripes on the paws and on the head. You can distinguish a male from a female by the tail (in females it is shorter and thinner), and by the concave carapace of the male.

Caspian turtles live in southern Europe (Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus), Western Asia, the north-west of the Arabian Peninsula (Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia), the Caucasus, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq.

In nature, it settles in bodies of water, both fresh and brackish water, near which there is coastal vegetation. And these turtles can climb mountains to heights of up to 1800 meters above sea level and live up to 30 years! In captivity, the air temperature in the terrarium is 30-32 degrees, the water temperature is 18-22 degrees.

Chinese trionix (Far Eastern tortoise). There are exceptions to any rule. Chinese Trionix is ​​proof of this. We are all used to seeing turtles with a classic hard shell. The Chinese Trionix is ​​soft.

The dimensions of the shell reach 20 centimeters, it is soft, leathery, without any scutes. Green color. But this is not all that can surprise an unprepared person in this unique representative of the turtle order.

They have three toes on their paws. On the face instead of a nose there is a proboscis. And if you pass by some pond somewhere in China and see such a proboscis sticking out of the water, you know that this is a Trionix turtle sticking out to get a fresh portion of oxygen.

Despite all their vulnerability and cuteness, the jaws of the Chinese trionyx have sharp cutting edges with which they grab their prey.

The amazing qualities of this turtle also include its speed of movement and reaction. This is not your classic turtle, barely moving around the house.

It is dangerous for humans due to its nature: Trionics turtles are quite aggressive, bite painfully and are rarely tamed. Unless they are raised in captivity from a young age. You can meet Trionix in China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, on the islands of Hainan and Taiwan, in Russian Far East, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hawaiian and Mariana Islands, Micronesia.

They prefer to live in rivers with weak currents, lakes and canals. In eastern countries - China, Japan, Korea - it is highly valued for its meat and served as a delicacy. In captivity, the water temperature in the terrarium should reach 26 degrees, the air temperature - 30-32.

Based on materials from: gerbils.ru

Types of aquarium turtles

You can look at aquarium turtles in a photo or in their natural form in a store, and choose a pet based on your aesthetic preferences. There are no big differences in the content of different breeds of such amphibians.

Types of aquarium turtles that are most often found in aquaterrariums:

  • Swamp turtle
  • Long-necked turtle
  • Mud turtle

The last one is the smallest. An adult reaches only 10 centimeters. Accordingly, she will need a comparatively smaller home. The rest grow 2-3 times larger at home. All these amphibians have good eyesight, react to movement, distinguish smells and tastes. At the same time, turtles are somewhat deaf, their ears are covered with folds of skin.

Keeping turtles in aquariums

When thinking about how to care for aquarium turtles, you should consider that they need full life you need both water and land. Well, it’s not for nothing that biologists called them amphibians! The minimum dimensions of an aquaterratium should be 160 centimeters in length, 60 centimeters in width and 80 centimeters in height. For a musk turtle, these dimensions can be halved.

Caring for an aquarium turtle will require the arrangement of three zones: a pond, land and “shallow water”. Dry land should occupy up to a third of the area of ​​the aquaterrarium. Cute amphibians climb onto it to warm themselves. The shallow water area (depth 3-4 centimeters) may be quite small, but it is definitely necessary. Turtles use it for thermoregulation.

Based on materials from: akvarym.com

Types of small turtles

The little turtle will the perfect pet for those who are short on time.

Little turtles are very popular exotic pets. All over the world, millions of people choose these cute, funny animals that do not require complex care and maintenance as pets.

Advantages of small turtles over other pets

The little turtle is ideal for both small city apartments and spacious private houses. Small, leisurely, requiring virtually no care and very unusual in appearance, turtles will become loyal friends to both restless children and calm elderly people.

If you don’t have the time or desire to walk your dog three times a day in any weather, brush your cat every week, or spend a whole day every month cleaning an aquarium with fish, purchasing a turtle would be an ideal option.

For small turtles, a 100-liter aquarium or a terrarium prepared with your own hands from a large box or old suitcase (if the turtle is an amphibian) is quite enough.

Which turtles are small

Small turtles include species of turtles that do not grow in length by more than 12-13 cm. Turtles with a body length exceeding 13-15 cm are considered large and require more complex care and maintenance conditions. There are several species of small turtles.

Flat-bodied (flat) turtles. The body length of representatives of this species varies between 6-8.5 cm, weight reaches 100-170 g. Such miniature sizes allow the turtle to feel comfortable in a small aquarium, and the fact that these turtles feed mainly on small succulents (plants containing a lot of moisture), makes caring for them very simple.

Locking turtles. Locked turtles live naturally in parts of Africa, as well as in Mexico and the United States. There are four subspecies of reclusive turtles. Yellow snapback turtles and Sonoran snapback turtles typically grow to 7.5-13 cm. Striped snapback turtles and reddish mud turtles reach 7.5-11 cm.

Musk turtles. Another type of small turtles that can be kept at home. Adults reach a maximum length of 15 cm. The genus of musk turtles has four species. The keeled musk turtle reaches 7.5-15 cm in length. The common musk turtle and the small musk turtle grow to 7.5-12.5 cm. Sternotherus depressus is 7.5-11 cm long.

Spotted turtles. This is a semi-aquatic species of turtles reaching 7.5-13 cm in length. Since this turtle is a semi-terrestrial animal, in addition to a small water aquarium, a dry aquarium or terrarium is perfect for it.

Chinese three-keeled turtles. Average length the body length of representatives of this species of turtle is 13 cm. The three-keeled turtle is an excellent choice for people who are purchasing a turtle for the first time, as it is a very calm and unpretentious animal.

Small turtles do not require large expenses for their maintenance, do not need any special care and do not take up much space in the apartment - a small 100-150-liter aquarium will be quite enough for them.

Despite the enormous popularity of these small exotic animals as pets, keeping them in captivity is illegal in some countries.

Based on materials from: vitaportal.ru

Endangered turtle species

On this moment There are several species of turtles that are either extinct or on the verge of extinction.

Galapagos tortoise or elephant tortoise. By the early 20th century, more than 200,000 Galapagos tortoises had been exterminated. Almost all natural habitats of elephant turtles were also destroyed.

This is due to the fact that actively began to develop Agriculture and there was a need for places to raise livestock. Many types of livestock were also introduced, which competed with turtles for food.

Since the early 20th century, much effort has been made to restore the elephant turtle population. Captive-bred turtles were released in their respective areas. natural habitat. Today the number of such turtles is more than 20,000 individuals.

Leatherback turtle. About 30 years ago, there were more than 117 thousand females of such turtles. Now their number has decreased to about 25 thousand.
This is due to the fact that leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish and dive to very great depths for them. In their natural habitats, water bodies are heavily clogged and turtles very often swallow various debris and die from this.

Swamp turtle. The only representative of turtles in Belarus. Females are distinguished by larger body sizes and a comparatively thinner tail at the base.

Protected in many European countries. The species is listed in the Red Books of Belarus and many other CIS countries.

The decline in turtle numbers in Belarus is associated with transformation and reduction in area natural places habitats following changes in natural landscapes and drainage of wetlands.

Far Eastern turtle. In most of its habitat, the Far Eastern tortoise is a common species. But in Russia, this rare view, whose numbers are rapidly declining in this part of its range.

This is due to the fact that the Far Eastern tortoise is one of the main edible species turtles. Therefore, many poachers catch, kill and sell them. Local residents also destroy the nests and take away the eggs of Far Eastern turtles.

Poisonous turtles

Along with pet turtles, there are some species that can cause irreparable harm to your health.

Leatherback turtle. The leatherback turtle is the largest of all turtles, sometimes reaching over 2.5 meters in length. These 2,000-pound omnivores are arguably the widest-growing vertebrates on Earth, but their populations are declining every year due to industrial development, pollution and being caught as bycatch.

These turtles are usually quite gentle giants, however if disturbed they can bite and their bite can break bones as they are very strong and powerful. In one strange case, a huge leatherback turtle, likely weighing more than 680 kilograms, directed its aggression towards the small boat and rammed it. Shortly before, the turtle was being chased by a shark, so it considered the boat a potential threat.

Fringed turtle (mata-mata). The Amazon of South America is famous for its incredible and sometimes creepy creatures. In the same river as piranhas and river dolphins lives a bizarre fringed turtle.

What will happen if a person steps on a fringed turtle is unknown, but this strange river reptile has an elongated, snake-like neck and a strange mouth, which contains two sharp plates that resemble human teeth fused together. This uniquely creepy carnivore's lunch menu includes waterbirds, fish and other reptiles.

We can only imagine what will happen to a person who reaches out from the boat to touch the strange lump visible from the water...

Big-headed turtle. The big-headed turtle is a bizarre-looking creature with a long, snake-like tail that is almost as long as its body. This turtle is endemic to Southeast Asia, where it hunts a variety of prey in rivers.

The large head does not retract into the shell, and is equipped with very powerful jaws. If a turtle feels threatened, it will not hesitate to use its beak, which can crush bones, so it is better to keep your distance from them. Incredibly, this creature, living in Asia, is able to climb trees, where it can sit like a bird. Unfortunately this amazing creature is endangered due to poaching, which must be constantly combated.

Soft-bodied turtles. Looking like flattened human-reptile hybrids from alien horror films, soft-bodied turtles compensate for their lack of shell with a very strong bite. Among the many species of soft-shelled turtles from around the world, the most feared is the large Cantor's soft-shelled turtle, endemic to China.

She hides in the sand, waiting for prey, and then jumps out and bites the prey with sharp teeth. The turtle's sheer size and the force of its bite can cause horrific injuries. However, this species is unfortunately currently endangered. However, more common species of softshell turtles, such as the evil trionix, can be found throughout the world and are quite capable of biting an unwary fisherman.

Based on materials: bugaga.ru

I hope today you received a complete description of what types of turtles there are. We figured out all their diversity and have already planned a pet for the future. Well, I say goodbye to you.

Kawabanga, friends!

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