Greek turtle content. Exotic animals. Interesting facts about the Mediterranean turtle

JERRY, THE WOLF, THE HEDGEHOG AND THE TURTLE The light gray shepherd Jerry came to Kostya when he was just a baby. She was half-blind and trembling all over. They made her bed in a pasta box and in the first days they covered her with hot irons on all sides so that Jerry would not freeze. In Jerry's life there was

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Central Asian turtle Previously, this land turtle was called the steppe and belonged to the genus Testudo, but later it was separated into separate genus, consisting of one species. The Central Asian tortoise lives in the countries Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. On

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Wood turtle This is a land turtle, which, however, during the breeding season prefers to be in the water or near a body of water. Representatives of this species are widespread for the most part V North America. They feed mainly on animal food (worms, slugs,

Balkan tortoise The Balkan tortoise is a small land animal, common in Southern Europe (Bulgaria, Romania, on the coast Mediterranean Sea). There are two subspecies - western and eastern. The eastern subspecies of the Balkan tortoise is much

Painted turtle The painted turtle belongs to the group freshwater turtles. There are several subspecies of this species, representatives of which are naturally found in North America. Carapace length painted turtle small - 13–25 cm. The shell of these

Pennsylvania Mud Turtle Pennsylvania mud turtles are small freshwater animals that live in southern states USA. They live in fresh or brackish waters with slow flow and abundant vegetation and very rarely go onto land. Carapace

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Caspian turtle The Caspian turtle is found in Russia on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, in Transcaucasia, Western Asia and Turkmenistan. The turtle lives in freshwater bodies of water, spending almost its entire life in them. A turtle sleeps underwater in shallow water, occasionally

Star tortoise The star tortoise is a land animal that lives on the Hindustan Peninsula, Sri Lanka and nearby islands. This species received its name due to the fact that on the carapace its representatives have a star-shaped pattern with rays,

Asian box turtle The Asian box turtle is related to the ornamented turtle. It is a small semi-aquatic animal that is found in South-East Asia. This turtle lives mainly near bodies of water with standing water. Can live like in water

Musk turtle The musk turtle is a small freshwater animal native to North America. Lives mainly in bodies of standing water or small ponds. IN warm weather she often goes ashore to bask in the sun. Pretty musk turtle

Spotted turtle The spotted turtle is a miniature animal measuring no more than 13 cm. It is found in the USA and Canada, mainly in small rivers with muddy bottoms, swamps and small ponds. The carapace of this turtle is black, smooth, with yellowish spots. Plastron yellow, with

This is one of the few species of turtles found in Europe. Exactly Mediterranean turtles(sometimes called Greek or Caucasian) can most often be seen in hobbyist terrariums. The dimensions are small: the shell grows up to 30 cm, the weight of an adult is about three kilograms. Their shell is strong, strongly protruding, well developed, reliably protects from predators, protects from scorching sun rays in hot weather, and protects from the cold in winter.

The older the turtle, the more convex its shell. In turtles whose age exceeds many decades, it reaches its maximum size. Also, the approximate age of a Mediterranean tortoise can be determined by the pattern of rings on the horny scutes of the shell - the more of these rings there are, the longer the life of the tortoise. From - another species common in our country as pet– she is different number of claws on paws. The Mediterranean turtle has 5, while the Central Asian turtle has 4 claws on each paw. Males differ from females in having a pit on the plastron and a larger tail.

Habitat

In nature, Mediterranean turtles can be found in southern Europe. In our country, this species lives in the east of the Caucasus, and is sometimes found in the southeast of Transcaucasia. The favorite habitats of the Mediterranean tortoise are steppes and semi-deserts, open forests, mountain slopes overgrown with bushes.

What to feed your Greek tortoise?

These turtles are herbivores. IN wild conditions they feed on vegetation, both dry and succulent, foliage of various trees and shrubs. Sometimes they eat fruits and berries - plums and apricots, apples, grapes. Do not refuse insects, snails and slugs.

In captivity, the basis of the Mediterranean tortoise's diet should be romaine lettuce. This salad is high in nutrients, vitamins and calcium, especially if it is not greenhouse, but grown in the ground. An adult turtle eats one head of romaine lettuce at a time; a young turtle eats half or a third of the head. Once a week you can pamper your pet with chopped vegetables and fruits. In summer you should add wild vegetables to your turtle's diet. native plants– clover, alfalfa, dandelions. It is better to give the food chopped up in a bowl, rather than hand-feeding it to your pet. Powdered food should be added to the food every week. vitamin complex with calcium, better from foreign manufacturers.

Occasionally, about once a month, you can offer the turtle protein food- live earthworms or mealworms, grasshoppers, slugs.

Under no circumstances feed your pet food from your table, food for cats and dogs, meat, eggs, bread, or cottage cheese. The turtle also does not need regular drinking; there is no need to put water in the terrarium: it will spill it, and excess moisture can only do harm. The turtle gets the required amount of liquid from succulent food.

You don't need to bathe your turtle either. Of course, if your pet accidentally gets dirty, you can wash it warm water. Although some turtle owners note that their pets really enjoy bathing. Try placing a small container of water in the terrarium and see how your turtle behaves. Perhaps she will turn out to be a lover of water procedures.

The breeding season for Mediterranean turtles begins in early spring and continues until early summer, depending on the subspecies. When kept in captivity, males become sexually active until August, but females do not lay eggs after such late mating. In nature, turtle marriage ceremonies take place in clearings, forest edges and other open areas. You can often hear muffled clicking sounds there. This male declares his sympathy for the female by hiding his head deep into the shell and hitting her shell several times. Starting from the end of June, females begin to lay eggs: they dig a shallow hole in soft soil and place 3 to 10 round white eggs weighing up to 25 grams in it. During one mating season, a female can lay eggs three times, i.e. during the summer about 15 eggs. Having made a clutch, the female buries it and crawls along the surface several times. This concludes her maternal responsibilities.

Turtles begin to hatch from eggs from July to mid-September. Most Mediterranean tortoise hatchlings appear in mid-August. The turtle in the egg is fully formed in 2.5 - 3 months. Prerequisite – wet ground and warm sun rays. The upper jaw of turtles ends with a sharp spike - the so-called egg tooth, with which they pierce the egg shell, and then, turning in a circle, open it like a tin can. Next, they widen the resulting gap with their paws and leave the shell. Most of the hatched turtles do not crawl to the surface, but bury themselves in the ground and spend the winter next to the nesting chamber. Grown-up young turtles emerge in the spring. Overwintered baby turtles are small in size: the unstrengthened shell reaches a length of 3-4 cm, and their weight is approximately 15 grams. After six months they grow up to 7 cm and reach a weight of 80 grams.

Most zoos, as well as some experienced hobbyists, have successfully bred Mediterranean tortoises in captivity. During the mating season, males become quite aggressive and can injure each other, so it is recommended to keep one male and one or two females in one terrarium. After a month and a half, the female begins to lay eggs: 2-3 eggs, up to three clutches. For proper incubation, the following conditions are required: humidity 50-70%, and temperature from 25 to 32 °C. The hatched turtles reach a length of 5 cm.

The Mediterranean tortoise can be crossed with closely related species, the Central Asian tortoise and the bordered tortoise.

Setting up a terrarium for a Greek tortoise

If you decide to get yourself a Mediterranean turtle, then you will need a terrarium at the rate of 0.4 m 2 per pair of turtles. Unlike Central Asian turtle which likes to rummage in the ground, the layer of soil at the bottom for this type of turtle can be relatively small - about 5 cm. Fertile soil from the garden mixed with peat, alder or beech chips, hay (some herbs can cause allergies in a turtle) are suitable as soil ). You can sow wheat or oats in the soil - the seedlings will give more decorative look your terrarium, and will also serve as additional food for the turtle.

In sunny summer days It is advisable to take your pet out into the sun - it is necessary for prevention.

So, what else, besides soil, should be in a terrarium for a Mediterranean tortoise?

Firstly, this incandescent lamp, with a power of 40-60 W, which will become a source of heat for your pet. The turtle itself chooses the temperature it needs, being at different distances from the lamp. Turtles are reptiles and get their warmth from external sources, so they simply need a heating lamp in order for metabolic processes to proceed properly. If a turtle lacks heat, its metabolism slows down, food stops being digested in the stomach and rots, so the turtle can simply get sick. The temperature in the terrarium should be adjusted by lowering and raising the lamp, or by changing light bulbs of different wattages.

Secondly, the turtle needs ultraviolet lamp(10%UV). It does not heat the terrarium, but it will be a source of ultraviolet radiation necessary for the synthesis of vitamins and calcium. In nature, turtles receive the necessary amount of ultraviolet radiation from the sun's rays. The UV lamp should be placed at a distance of no less than 20 and no more than 40 cm from the animal.

The turtle should be protected from drafts and sudden temperature changes - this can cause a cold. In nature, turtles can withstand high level humidity - up to 80%, but there is no need to constantly maintain humidity in the terrarium.

The turtle can sometimes be released from the terrarium and crawl around the apartment (after closing the windows to avoid drafts). Adults are quite slow, while young ones are more active. During a walk, you need to monitor your pet so that it does not crawl into a hard-to-reach place from which it will be difficult to remove it.

Your turtle will also need shelter - they like to crawl into secluded places - and a bowl for food. There is no need to install bathing bowls; Mediterranean turtles do not need regular bathing, and the liquid is obtained from succulent food. Although some individuals love water procedures.

A little more about the Mediterranean turtle

In young turtles, in the first or second year of life, rings on the scutes appear every month or two, but in mature and old individuals, even in a whole year, a ring may not form, although the animal grows and gains weight. Why this happens is not yet clear.

Mediterranean turtles are active only in daytime. IN natural conditions, on especially hot days, they take refuge in the shade, and sometimes bury themselves in leaves (in the forest), and in the steppe - in the ground. In early spring and in the fall, when the sun is not too bright, turtles crawl out into open places and bask in the sun's rays. During the winter, turtles hibernate. They climb into secluded places - crevices in rocks, under tree roots, or simply bury themselves in the ground, where they hibernate until the weather warms up. If the spring turns out to be warm, then turtles come to the surface in March.

Turtles make virtually no sounds, but if they are frightened or angry, they make a loud hiss while simultaneously retracting their paws and head into their shell.

Some turtles, especially males during the mating season, can become aggressive and even bite humans.

The Mediterranean turtle is a protected species

Currently, this species is endangered and is therefore listed in the Red Book. The reasons for this are uncontrolled catching for the purpose of selling for home care, deforestation and development of the steppes - its habitat. Unfortunately, current state The species has not been sufficiently studied, which prevents the adoption of effective measures for its conservation.

Video review

View: Mediterranean turtle - Testudo graeca L., 1758

Type area: Saita Cruz (Oran).

Forepaws with 5 claws. The carapace is high, usually serrated in the back. On the light olive or yellowish-brown background of the carapace there are black spots that increase with age. There is one horny tubercle on the back of the thigh.

Distributed in North Africa, Southern Spain, the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, Western Asia, Syria, Iran, Iraq. In the USSR it is found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, south to Abkhazia, in Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.

Forms 2 subspecies. Nominative form T. g. graeca L. is distributed in southern Spain and northern Africa; T.g. ibera Pall., 1814 inhabits the rest of its range, including within our country. It is characterized by a wider and relatively flattened caranax and larger overall dimensions.

Inhabits a variety of habitats - from dry steppes and mountain slopes covered with shrubs to lowland forests and gardens. It feeds on succulent herbaceous vegetation, mainly legumes (up to 98% of the volume), Asteraceae (up to 20%), sometimes fruits and berries. Eats small quantities of mollusks and insects. In summer it is active mainly in the morning and evening, spending the hottest hours in the bushes. At the end of October - in November it is buried in the sand.

Previously, the name “Greek” was used, this is incorrect, since this species does not exist in Greece; another species of the same genus lives there - the Balkan tortoise (T. hermanni), distinguished by a paired supra-tail scute. the ground, usually in the old seasons of foxes and badgers, where it winters. In April-May, mating occurs, accompanied by fights between males. Starting in June, it lays eggs three times a season, 2-8 eggs in each clutch. The eggs are buried in a hole dug in the ground. The eggs are almost spherical, 32-36 mm in diameter, weighing 22-23 g, white, covered with a calcareous shell. Incubation period 2-3 months. The length of the shell of newly hatched turtles is 35-45 mm. In most cases, they emerge the following spring. Sexual maturity is reached at 12-14 years of age. The number is declining sharply. Included in the Red Book of the USSR.

The Mediterranean tortoise (T. graeca) has a wide range. It lives in North Africa from Morocco to Egypt, southern Spain, eastern Balkan Peninsula, in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and Iran. In the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean turtle is distributed on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Dagestan.

The Mediterranean tortoise is often called the Caucasian and Asia Minor, as well as the Greek. The last name, like Latin name, is completely unfortunate, since it is in Greece that this species is absent, being replaced there by another, close species - the Balkan tortoise (T. her-manni).

The shell of the Mediterranean tortoise is convex, smooth, slightly jagged along the posterior edge, up to 30 cm long. The head is covered on top with large symmetrical scutes. Large overlapping scutes cover the outer surface of the front legs; there is one large conical tubercles on the hips. The tail is blunt and short. The coloration above is yellowish-brown, usually with dark spots on the scutes. The habitats of this turtle are varied: dry steppes, semi-deserts, mountain slopes covered with bushes, dry sparse forests. It is quite common in the lowlands, but also penetrates into the mountains up to altitudes of about 1100 m above sea level. Willingly visits gardens and fields in search of tasty fruits. It feeds on all kinds of juicy greens, sometimes diversifying its diet with worms, snails and small insects.

Winter time turtles hibernate, climbing into holes, crevices between stones, or burrowing into the ground to a shallow depth. In the spring they appear very early - already in February - March - and soon begin to reproduce. Mating occurs vigorously. Married couples can be found everywhere in the clearings and in the forest. The females, trying to get away from the annoying males, hide in the bushes of the eagles, in the thick of the grass, and the excited males use blows from their shields and strong bites They use their hind legs to force the females to leave the shelter. They either run ahead or try to climb onto the female. During the act of mating, the male opens his mouth wide, tensely stretches his neck and emits strong growling wheezes. If one female is pursued by several males, which is quite rare, then fights occur between the males. Enraged males grab each other by the head and legs, sometimes inflicting serious wounds, tearing out pieces of meat along with hard, keratinized skin. When the strongest male manages to climb onto the female, the remaining males, despite their wounds, knock him down with blows of their shells, and the fight begins anew. This is repeated many times until, finally, only the strongest male remains, who manages to fertilize the female. Mating occurs up to 8-10 times a day, and there are cases when one female is fertilized by several males.

In June-July, females lay 2-8 white, almost spherical, slightly flattened eggs about 35 mm long. Oviposition occurs three times per season, and thus, during the summer, one female lays an average of 16 eggs. After 2-3 months, young turtles emerge from them. In most cases, they do not come out, but burrow even deeper and spend the winter next to the nesting chamber. Only the following spring, having become stronger and grown due to the yolk sac, do they appear on the surface.

The Mediterranean tortoise is very often kept in captivity. She is unpretentious and, with plenty of warmth and food, lives for decades. Individuals are known to have lived in captivity for about a hundred years. The meat and eggs of this species are eaten in some areas. Only occasionally can a turtle cause harm by damaging crops.

Mediterranean (Greek, Caucasian) turtle is a small reptile of the family Land turtles. The length of the shell does not exceed thirty centimeters. Males are slightly smaller. Their shell can only reach twenty-three centimeters. The body of the turtles is sand-colored, with spots of brown shades. The ventral part is also light. The shell is almost black, decorated with yellow spots. The legs are short. Toes can be seen on the forelimbs.

The habitat of Mediterranean turtles is expanding in the territory North Africa, Southern Europe, Asia. You can see an animal of this breed in the steppe zones, near the foot of the mountains, in sparse forests. Caucasian turtles cannot tolerate heat, so activity is observed in the evening, early morning. The reptile prefers to rest, hiding under some small plant. Most often it can be seen between stones, under bushes. The turtle’s body reacts negatively to a sharp drop in temperature, so the animals sleep all winter. At the beginning of spring they wake up. At this time, young couples can give birth to offspring. You can distinguish a male from a female by the shape of its shell. In males it is more voluminous.

Recently, Greek tortoises have been taken as pets. This decision is explained by the fact that this breed of reptile is quite hardy. At proper care the pet lives up to thirty years. Before buying a turtle, take care of housing. A terrarium or aquarium is perfect. There should be room for the animal in it, so you should decide on the breed of turtle in advance. Cover the bottom of the “shelter” with a thick layer of a special substrate (sand, peat). At the bottom you can plant small plants (oats, millet, other grains). The sprouts will serve as additional food for your pet. It is not recommended to plant two males in one terrarium at once. Sometimes they can provoke conflicts that will negatively affect the health of one of the animals. It's better to buy a couple. Individuals of different sexes get along well together. Later they can give birth to offspring. Some time after mating, future mom begins to lay eggs. The female buries them shallowly in the soil. It is recommended to immediately transfer the eggs to a special container. This will protect the embryos from injury and premature hatching. In the incubator, the eggs are kept under special ultraviolet paws for four months. Newborn babies (about five centimeters in length) are born completely unprotected. At first, they perceive the environment poorly.

Adult turtles eat almost everything. You can safely give fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, boiled egg. Dairy products are also beneficial for growing reptiles. You can buy special food at the pet store. Nutritional supplements, vitamins. Change the water in drinking bowls daily. Remember that turtles are used to light. Therefore, take them outside regularly. Sun rays very useful for the animal.