Terrestrial turtles. The turtle is an ancient reptile. Cape tortoise

Turtle is an ancient animal from the order of reptiles. It appeared more than 200 million years ago and, according to scientists, has practically not changed over the past 150 million years.

The main distinguishing feature of a turtle is its shell. This is a complex bone-skin formation that covers the turtle's body from all sides, protecting it from predator attacks. The inner part of the shell is formed by bone plates, and the outer part by leathery shields. The shell consists of two parts - dorsal and ventral. The dorsal part, or carapace, has a convex shape, and the ventral, or plastron, is flat. The body of the turtle is firmly fused with the shell, from which only the head, limbs and tail peep out between the carapace and the plastron. In case of danger, the turtle can completely hide in the shell. Turtles have no teeth, but have a strong, pointed beak at the edges, which allows it to bite off any food. Turtles, like some snakes and crocodiles, lay leathery eggs. Turtles do not care for their offspring. Immediately after the eggs are laid, they leave the clutch.

Diversity and lifestyle

There are over 300 different types of turtles. Some of them lead a land lifestyle, and some have adapted to live in water. Freshwater turtles, unlike land turtles, have a more flattened and smooth shell, as well as webbing between the fingers. This helps them skillfully swim in the water element. Sea turtles spend most of their lives in the seas and oceans. Only once a year, during the breeding season, they come ashore to lay their eggs in the coastal sand. limbs sea ​​turtles turned into flippers that allow them to "hover" in the ocean depths.

Dimensions

Turtles differ greatly in size: the land spider turtle does not exceed 10 cm in length and weighs about 100 g, and the leatherback turtle reaches two and a half meters and weighs more than half a ton. The giant among land tortoises is the Galapagos elephant tortoise. The length of her shell exceeds one meter, and the weight can be equal to four centners.

Coloring

The coloration of turtles is most often modest, masking them to the color of the environment. But there are species with a very bright contrasting pattern. So, in the radiant turtle in the center of the shell scutes on the main dark background there are catchy yellow spots, from which the same yellow rays depart. Head and neck red-eared turtle decorated with a pattern of wavy lines and stripes, and bright red spots are located behind the eyes.

Diet

Land turtles mainly feed on plant foods - grass, leaves of shrubs, juicy fruits. Freshwater and sea turtles are predators that eat fish, insects and their larvae, worms and molluscs. Land turtles can supplement their diet with animal food, while aquatic turtles can supplement their diet with plant foods.

Lifespan

The turtle is a record-breaking long-liver among vertebrates. She can live over a hundred years. A reliable case is known when a gigantic tortoise lived for 152 years. Scientists say that a turtle can live for two hundred years or more.

Turtle: brief information

The Galapagos tortoise is most commonly referred to as the elephant tortoise. The life expectancy of these reptiles is very long. There are cases when elephant turtles lived up to 400 years or more. The areas of distribution of the large Galapagos tortoise are savannahs, broad-leaved forests and shrub plains located in a tropical natural zone.

APPEARANCE

shell elephant turtle can reach 1.5 m in length and 0.5 m in height. The body weight of adults is from 150 to 400 kg.

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: males are much larger than females. The paws of the elephant tortoise are strong and thick, with short powerful fingers.

Compared to water turtles, land turtles are not as agile, so in case of danger they hide inside the shell, rather than flee.

There are no webbing between the fingers. The neck is thin. The dorsal carapace is black, covered with small, weakly expressed mounds. In adults, the shell is covered with lichen.

Galopagos tortoise

LIFESTYLE

Elephant turtles are herbivores. Their diet includes grass, green parts of plants. Turtles that live on the lava plains of the Galapagos get their food on the plateaus formed on the site of an extinct volcano. Such plateaus provide turtles with an abundance of fresh water that accumulates in the depressions of the volcano.

The large size of the elephant tortoise makes it impossible to keep it at home.

The Mediterranean tortoise is a small land animal, the size of which is adulthood does not exceed 25–28 cm.

Under natural conditions, this species is found in the Mediterranean countries, from where the name of the turtle comes from, as well as in Iran, Iraq, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Black Sea coast Caucasus.

In the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Mediterranean tortoises live in steppes, semi-deserts and on the slopes of mountains covered with bushes, and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus - in forests. Sometimes Mediterranean tortoises live in fields and vineyards.

APPEARANCE

The shell of this species is strong, well developed, convex, covering the entire body. The scutes of the carapace form a complex pattern in the form of irregular rings, dark along the outer edge.

The older the turtle, the more rings on its shell, although their number does not correspond to the exact number of years of the animal.

LIFESTYLE

The most active Mediterranean tortoises

they show during the day, but in the summer, in hot weather, in the middle of the day, they often hide in the forest under fallen leaves and branches, and burrow into the ground in the steppe. In cool weather, in spring or autumn, turtles crawl out into the open to bask in the sun.

These animals are quite slow, but in the spring, during the breeding season, they often have to travel considerable distances. The Mediterranean tortoise feeds mainly on plant foods, occasionally eating worms, snails or insects.

For the winter, animals take refuge in crevices, small depressions between tree roots, or burrow into the ground. They come out of hibernation in March.

After waking up, the turtles begin mating games that take place on open spaces. The male during the games comes close to the female, hides his head and taps the edge of the shell on the shell of the female.

In June-July, females begin to lay their eggs in specially dug holes. During the summer, turtles lay eggs on average 3 times. Each clutch contains 3-8 eggs white color. The tortoise lays eggs and fills it with soil and rams its surface, passing over it several times.

mediterranean tortoise

After 70–80 days, cubs are born. Since young turtles hatch from their eggs in late summer or autumn, most of them do not crawl out to the surface, but burrow into the ground and hibernate until spring.

Mediterranean tortoises, especially young ones, in which the shell is still soft, often become easy prey for predatory animals and birds. In many ways, people contribute to the decrease in the number of Mediterranean tortoises, catching them in large numbers and destroying their natural habitat. Therefore, you should not take home very small turtles, which practically do not survive in such conditions. Preference should be given to adults and sufficiently developed individuals.

The coal turtle is also called the red-footed turtle. It lives mainly in the forests of Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay, Guiana, Northern Argentina and Bolivia.

In length, an adult reaches 55 cm.

LIFESTYLE

Coal turtles lay their eggs in autumn. In clutch there are from 5 to 15 eggs. The duration of the incubation period is 3.5–6 months at an ambient temperature of 26–30 °C.

coal turtle

The coal turtle is an omnivore. When animals are kept in captivity, they are fed fruits (apples, pears, plums, bananas, oranges), vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage), chicken or lean beef, and even dry cat food.

Particular attention is paid to the temperature in the terrarium, which should not be lower than 27 ° C, and to humidity - a sufficiently high one is required.

The leopard tortoise is common in the territories adjacent to the Sahara. Some populations live in South Sudan, East Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, South West Africa.

APPEARANCE

The carapace is high, rounded, up to 60 cm long, light brown in color with small dark spots. Animals are easy to distinguish by gender: males are much larger than females. Old individuals can weigh up to 35 kg.

leopard turtle

LIFESTYLE

The leopard tortoise mainly lives in deserts, semi-deserts, plains with thorny bushes, some populations are found in mountainous areas.

The diet of the leopard tortoise is food of plant origin (prickly pear, aloe, euphorbia, thistle).

The terrarium where leopard turtles are kept must be equipped with an artificial pond.

Since this species of turtle does not tolerate the effect of low temperatures, the lamp in their terrarium should be turned on all the time during the cold season.

Shabuti turtles are common in South America east of the Andes, on the island of Trinidad, in Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Guiana. In recent years, the number of yellow-footed tortoises has declined significantly.

In captivity, shabuti adapt to the most adverse conditions.

APPEARANCE

The carapace reaches a length of 60 cm, in nature there are individuals with a length of 1 m or more. The carapace is convex, oblong, the carapace is fixedly connected to the plastron. On the plastron and carapace there are many thick, large horny scutes.

Shabouti

The head and limbs are dark grey, almost black. In many individuals, the limbs are colored in yellow hence the turtles got their name. However, there are individuals with orange and red legs, which is why they are often confused with red-footed turtles.

Previously, this turtle was called the steppe and attributed to the genus Testudo, but then it was isolated in separate genus, which includes only one species.

Radiant turtles live in Madagascar. Until the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, these animals lived in prickly pear thickets, but after the Dactylopus coccus beetles, which actively reproduced at that time, destroyed most of the plants, the turtles had to change their habitats.

APPEARANCE

The radiant tortoise is considered one of the most beautiful tortoises in the world. This is a fairly large land animal up to 40 cm long and weighing 15–18 kg, with a very high, domed carapace.

LIFESTYLE

The yellow-footed tortoise lives in tropical forests. The main part of her diet is plant foods: fruits and green parts of plants.

The female arranges a nest in a pile of fallen leaves and buries 4-12 eggs covered with calcareous shells there.

The scutes of the carapace are black or dark brown, on each of them there is a yellowish spot resembling a star shape with rays diverging to the edges. The head and limbs are yellowish, the upper part of the head, muzzle and neck are black, there is a bright yellow spot on the back of the head. Elephant limbs. In male radiant tortoises long tails and a notch on the plastron at the base of the tail.

LIFESTYLE Under natural conditions, radiant tortoises live in arid areas with scrub vegetation, most often in wooded areas in southern Madagascar. AT recent times the number of these animals in nature has decreased significantly, as they are often used for cooking. Since 1979 in the Recreational Center wildlife began to breed radiant turtles. So, from 500 eggs laid by turtles, about 300 cubs were bred.

radiant turtle

The mating season for radiant turtles begins in early spring, and offspring appear in September. During mating games the male walks in circles around the female, trying to pry her shell with his own, while making sounds reminiscent of clucking. The male shakes his head and sniffs the cloaca and hind legs of the female.

Sometimes he lifts the female with the front of his carapace to restrict her movements. Females choose males with a carapace length of at least 33 cm.

Females lay approximately 4-12 eggs in a pre-dug hole 15–20 cm deep. The incubation period is 145–230 days. The shell length of newly hatched turtles does not exceed 3 cm.

The Central Asian tortoise lives in the countries Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. On the territory of Russia, this animal is found on the northeastern coast of the Caspian Sea.

Inhabits mainly desert and semi-desert areas, as well as mountainous areas.

APPEARANCE

The shell of the Central Asian tortoise is round, not too high, yellowish-brown in color, with dark spots. The carapace consists of 13 scutes, the plastron of 16. There are 25 scutes on the sides of the carapace. On each shield of the carapace there are grooves, the number of which corresponds to the exact number of years of the turtle.

The plastron of males is slightly concave. The length of the shell of this species in some cases can reach 28 cm, but most often it is not more than 20 cm. Males of the Central Asian tortoise are usually smaller than females.

Central Asian tortoise

LIFESTYLE

The Central Asian tortoise in its natural habitat usually hibernates twice - in winter and during the summer heat. Before falling asleep, turtles dig holes, the depth of which can sometimes reach 2 m. In captivity, these reptiles rarely hibernate. In March-April, turtles come out of hibernation and start mating. From April to July, females make 2-3 clutches, each of which contains from 2 to 6 eggs. The duration of the incubation period is 80-110 days.

These animals reach puberty in the 10th year of life.

The panther tortoise belongs to the group of terrestrial tortoises and is quite large in size.

Panther tortoises are native to South and East Africa. These animals live in various areas, both in the savannas and in the mountains; moreover, turtles living in highland areas are usually larger than their flatland relatives. These reptiles are widespread for the most part in North America.

APPEARANCE

The length of the carapace of an adult can reach 70 cm, and weight - 45-50 kg, so you should keep the panther tortoise in captivity only if it is possible to provide it with a sufficiently spacious terrarium.

The shape of the carapace in this species, like in most land turtles, is domed. The color of the shell is dull yellow. In young individuals, the scutes are decorated with dark brown patterns, which in some cases look like rectangles connected by a common center. With age, the pattern becomes more faded, and the lines are bent.

The shell shields are uneven, shaped like asymmetrical pyramids. The carapace is brown, uneven, with a keel, its length is 13–23 cm. The plastron is yellow, with black spots on the outer edges of the scutes.

The neck and forelimbs of the turtle are often reddish or orange in color.

LIFESTYLE

The diet of panther tortoises is dominated by animal food. Sometimes turtles eat green parts of plants and ripe fruits.

panther tortoise

The mating season for this species is in autumn. In September and October, males win the females they have chosen, while females also take an active part in mating competitions.

The eggs of these animals are spherical, with a hard shell, with a diameter of 2.5 to 5 cm. Each clutch contains from 6 to 13 eggs. The duration of the incubation period is, depending on the ambient temperature, from 189 to 440 days.

Indian star tortoises live in India and on the island of Sri Lanka. Individuals are found on the small islands of Karaduwa and Ramaswaran.

APPEARANCE

The carapace is black, painted with yellow lines emanating in the form of rays from each shield. The pattern on the shell reminds big star. The scutes on the shell are relief-convex, protruding in the form of a pyramid.

Indian star tortoise

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: females are much larger than males. The largest male reaches only 15 cm in length, and the female - 25 cm. The shell of females is wider than that of males. The shell length of newborn babies is only 3 cm, but during the first 6 months of life, turtles grow their shell by about one third.

LIFESTYLE

Under natural habitat, the mating season for Indian star tortoises begins in June and usually lasts until mid-October.

At this time, the males fight each other, trying to turn the opponent upside down. During the year, the female makes three clutches of 4–6 eggs.

The incubation period is 100 days at 28°C.

In warm weather, adult turtles are sure to arrange a corral in the open air in an area with diffused sunlight. In rain or extreme heat, turtles are moved indoors.

In captivity, Indian star tortoises are kept in a fairly spacious enclosure with bedding of dry grass or sawdust. A large cardboard box with a hole cut into it is installed as a shelter.

Turtles require daily bathing, so a large container of water is installed in the aviary, which is changed daily.

The diet of Indian star tortoises is made up of food of plant origin. Occasionally, you can give dry food for dogs and turtles, meat products and eggs.

The Balkan tortoise is a small land animal that lives in the territory Southern Europe. In nature this species rare at present, but European countries there are special farms where animals are bred artificially.

There are two subspecies of the Balkan tortoise - western and eastern. The latter differs from the former in large dimensions.

APPEARANCE

A distinctive feature of the Balkan tortoise is a long conical spike on the tail.

The carapace is small in size, most often 14–16 cm. In young individuals, it is colored brownish-yellow, and in adults it is dark in color with a bright yellow border around the edge.

Under natural habitat conditions, the Balkan tortoise prefers to settle in dry steppes and shrubs.

Balkan tortoise

The star tortoise is a land animal that lives on the Hindustan Peninsula, in Sri Lanka and nearby islands.

APPEARANCE

The name of this species was due to the pattern on the shell in the shape of a star with rays diverging from the center to the edges.

star turtle

The background of the carapace is black or dark brown, and the color of the star is yellow. The carapace of females is wider than that of males, and the costal and vertebral scutes stand out more clearly. The caudal shield is shorter in females. The length of the carapace of males does not exceed 15 cm, and that of females - 25 cm.

LIFESTYLE

Star turtles exhibit most active morning and evening, during the day they prefer to rest in shaded places, and sleep at night. When it rains, they go out into open areas.

The breeding season for star tortoises is during the rainy season, from June to October. During this period, females make 2-3 clutches, each of which contains 3-6 eggs.

Eggs develop according to weather conditions, 45-147 days. Young turtles do not have a star pattern on their shells; they may have either a yellow or orange carapace with a yellow stripe along the spine. On the carapace of young individuals there are black spots resembling blots, and on the plastron there are five pairs of black spots located at the junction of the scutes.

The Egyptian tortoise is one of the smallest species of these animals. The maximum length of the carapace does not exceed 12.7 cm in females and 11.5 cm in males.

The Egyptian tortoise is found only on a small stretch of coast mediterranean sea between Libya and Israel.

APPEARANCE

Outwardly, the Egyptian tortoise is very similar to the Mediterranean one, however, the spots on the plastron of the first are located only in the region of the ventral scutes, while in the second they cover the entire plastron. In addition, Egyptian tortoises do not have growths on their feet.

Egyptian tortoise

In the back of the plastron, the female Egyptian tortoise has an elastic ligament that allows you to cover your hind limbs and tail with a shield. In males, this ligament is ossified.

LIFESTYLE

Under natural conditions, Egyptian tortoises hibernate during the hot season, from June to September, and from autumn to spring they lead an active lifestyle.

Animals begin to mate in March. During the mating season, both females and males make peculiar sounds. Females lay 1-3 eggs in small holes up to 5 cm deep. The eggs mature in about 3 months, but there are cases when the incubation period lasted 10 months.

The flat-tailed turtle is found only in Madagascar. This small animal is often kept in a home terrarium.

APPEARANCE

The carapace of this animal is elongated, with large yellow scutes, 12 cm long. The scutes have yellowish or light brown spots, around which black stripes crossed by light ones pass.

Capidolo

On the marginal shields, the stripes are vertical, light.

The plastron is light, with dark spots, without an elastic ligament.

The head of the turtles is painted black or dark brown, the limbs are yellow. The tail is flat, with a nail-like outgrowth at the end.

LIFESTYLE

The capidolo hibernates during the hot months, and the period of activity in animals falls on the rainy season.

Female flat-tailed turtles usually lay only one fairly large egg.

The desert tortoise, or the western desert gopher as it is sometimes called, lives in deserts. North America. Also found in southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, Arizona, the Mayave and Sonoran deserts.

Most often it can be found in areas overgrown with shrubs with fairly loose soil. Life expectancy of 100 years or more.

Gopher or desert tortoise

APPEARANCE

The carapace is domed, as in most tortoises, low and rather wide, and can be up to 38 cm long. The color of the carapace is brown, with dark patterns, the plastron is yellow, and the marginal scutes are serrated.

The limbs are large and very powerful. Males have elongated throat shields, which they use in mating competitions.

The head is large, on the paws there are often horny growths that look like spurs. Males are smaller than females, marginal shields on their carapace are pointed.

LIFESTYLE

The gopher tortoise spends most of its life in a hole up to 9-10 m deep. It moves quite slowly. It is most active at night and early in the morning.

The diet consists of leaves of shrubs and grass. Despite the fact that turtles can go without food for a long time, captive turtles are recommended to be fed 2 times a day.

The breeding season lasts from November to March, the female usually lays eggs in March.

Female desert tortoise digs in sandy soil nest hole, where it then lays 4 to 12 round white eggs. The incubation period lasts about 4 months.

The shell of newborn babies is soft, which makes them easy prey for other animals and birds of prey. As the turtles mature, it gradually hardens.

These turtles are common in Asia, they are found from Nepal to Malaysia: in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Kampuchea, in southern China. Quite often imported for sale from Vietnam to China.

Currently, the number of these turtles has decreased significantly, in a number of countries this species is under protection.

APPEARANCE

The length of the yellow turtle is about 30 cm, body weight is not more than 3.5 kg. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: the shell in males is convex, while in females it is flat. On the hind limbs, females have long claws adapted for digging the ground.

The color of yellow turtles is light or dark yellow, on each shield there is a black spot. Sometimes there are individuals of black or light color without spots.

The head of animals is yellowish, during the breeding season, both in females and in males, a pinkish color appears around the eyes and nose.

LIFESTYLE

The yellow tortoise lives in humid forests, but can sometimes be found in drier areas.

Most active in dark time days: at this time she hunts and eats. These turtles tolerate low temperatures well, become active at a temperature of 20 ° C, but in the morning they like to bask in the sun. On hot days they become lethargic, try to hide in the shade.

yellow tortoise

Females become sexually mature, having reached a length of 23 cm. A pair of turtles is kept in a fairly large aqua terrarium (5 x 3 m).

During mating season the male becomes aggressive, therefore, when keeping turtles in captivity, a couple from which they hope to get offspring are planted. The behavior of reptiles must be monitored: the male can inadvertently injure the female by biting her head, paws and tail.

The female about to lay her eggs becomes active, tries to get out of the enclosure in search of a nest, often stops and sniffs the ground. As a rule, she chooses a wet patch of land, devoid of vegetation, and digs a hole there 15–20 cm deep. During the season, the female makes 3 clutches of 2–4 eggs each.

Laid eggs are carefully transferred to an incubator with an air temperature of at least 28 ° C. The incubation period is 130–190 days at 28°C. Body length of newborns is 50–55 mm, weight is 30–35 g.

Hatched cubs are kept separately, fed with protein-rich food, and only at the age of 9 months are transferred to a large terrarium.

Contrary to its name, the steppe tortoise does not live in the steppes, but in clay and sandy deserts, occasionally settles on economic lands.

Distributed in South Kazakhstan and on the plains of Central Asia.

APPEARANCE

The length of the carapace is about 18 cm, in some adults up to 30 cm. The carapace is low, rounded, yellowish-brown, with blurry dark spots.

LIFESTYLE

These turtles are most active during daylight hours.

They hibernate during the hottest time of the year - in July-August. The mating season for steppe turtles begins in February, and in April the females lay their eggs.

In one clutch there are from 2 to 6 eggs. The incubation period lasts 60-65 days. Males reach sexual maturity after 6 years, and females - after 12.

Large pebbles, shell rock are used as soil. Smaller soil turtles often eat. Also, one part of a sawn in half and inverted ceramic pot is installed in the terrarium.

steppe turtle

Adult turtles are sprayed once a day with a spray bottle, preventing the soil from getting wet. It is best to take them out of the terrarium at this time. With the onset warm days the turtles are moved to an open-air pen.

In captivity, adult steppe tortoises are fed no more than 2-3 times a week, young ones - daily. The diet of these reptiles is varied: they can be given grass (plantain, lawn grass, coltsfoot, clover, dandelion), berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries) and almost all kinds of fruits.

The Latin name for the Moorish tortoise is Testudo graeca, or Greek tortoise. Carl Linnaeus described this species in 1758, suggesting that it comes from Greece. In fact, these turtles are most widely distributed in the territory from North Africa up to Western Asia inclusive, so the German name of the species - Mauritanian tortoise - is considered more correct.

Currently, the number of these animals has reached a critical level, so the Mauritanian tortoise is included in the Red Book of Russia.

APPEARANCE

The length of an adult is 20–30 cm; there is a shield on the shell above the tail. The color of the shell is dark yellow with dark spots. Paws are yellow-brown with dark spots.

Mauritanian tortoise

LIFESTYLE

The diet of the Moorish tortoise is food of plant origin.

Animals are most active in the morning and evening hours, and during the day they hide in dense thickets of shrubs or other shady places.

Despite the fact that the Latin name for the Chaco tortoise is the Chilean tortoise, it is not found in Chile.

Distributed in South America: in southwestern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and western Paraguay. Homeland - Argentina and Paraguay.

APPEARANCE

The Chaco turtle looks like a gopher turtle. The length of the carapace of an adult animal reaches 20 cm. This is the smallest tortoise of the Geochelone genus, which also includes the giant Galopagos tortoise.

LIFESTYLE

Chaco turtles live in dry deserts overgrown with shrubs and grass. They mostly spend their time in burrows. So, in the north of Patagonia, where the temperature in winter sometimes reaches -10 ° C, animals hibernate in deep burrows.

The mating season lasts from November to December. In February, the females lay their eggs in nests they dig in the sand. The incubation period is 125–365 days.

Chaco turtles feed on both plant (grass, fruits, cacti) and animal (insects and their larvae) food.

Turtles of the kinix genus live in tropical rainforests and scrublands of Tropical Africa and on the island of Madagascar.

The length of the carapace of an adult is about 25–30 cm. The carapace is convex, with strongly serrated edges. The rear third of the carapace is very mobile, covering the body from behind.

Kiniks Homa is common in Côte d, Ivoire (the old name is Ivory Coast), Congo, Nigeria.

Some species settle along the banks of reservoirs and swamps, others - in arid plains overgrown with grass and shrubs. Usually they lead a hidden lifestyle, they are most active at sunrise and sunset. They like to bask in the sun for a long time after swimming, while simultaneously producing vitamin D in the body.

Under natural habitat conditions, they never hibernate.

APPEARANCE

The head is light, the eyes are large. The carapace has an angular outline with a pronounced angle in the back. The general color is brown.

LIFESTYLE

The diet of the kinix Homa is made up of snails, slugs, various insects, and plants. In captivity, turtles eat fruits, vegetables, flour and earthworms, and occasionally specialized dry food for turtles.

In a terrarium where turtles are kept, there should be high humidity air. If the air is dry, the animals hibernate, after which they become lethargic and soon die.

Turtles of this species do not tolerate bright sunlight, therefore, they arrange an open-air aviary exclusively in the shade.

Dry food for dogs should not be given to kinik-sam, and food of animal origin should be added to food no more than 1 time per week. Pregnant females and calves should be given a turtle calcium supplement daily.

Schweiger's tortoises are widely distributed in evergreen forests. West Africa. They live along the banks of water bodies and in humid tropical jungles.

APPEARANCE Schweiger's tortoise is the largest among other representatives of this genus. The length of the carapace of an adult reaches almost 30 cm.

The color of the carapace is rusty-brown, with light spots on the central plates and a border along the extreme plates.

Males differ from females in their long thick tails.

Schweiger turtles are kept under conditions high humidity. Unlike other species, these animals are undemanding to lighting.

For animals, a spacious terrarium is equipped with shelter - a cardboard box with a hole or a piece of tree bark bent in half.

Be sure to take care of an artificial reservoir. It may be shallow, but the water in it must be constantly changing.

The Schweiger turtle is undemanding to food: it can be fed with grass, fruits, small invertebrates.

Once a week, animals are given mineral supplements for turtles or, as a substitute, pork or beef bones.

Mating in turtles of this species occurs throughout the year. The mating behavior of the male is very interesting: he walks around the female in circles, suddenly knocking her over on her back. A fertilized female eats a lot, is almost constantly in the water.

After 4 months, the female is given a shelter in a terrarium - a small cardboard box with a closed top, a layer of sand is necessarily poured inside, in which the turtle will lay its eggs.

The eggs are carefully transferred to an incubator at 30°C. The incubation period is 130–157 days.

Hatched cubs are transferred to a special "children's" terrarium with the same shelter from the bark. Young individuals are fed bananas, pears, cucumbers, peaches and finely chopped earthworms.

Asian tortoises are widespread in the mountainous regions of Northern Vietnam (from the Vietnamese language, its name can be translated as "three-tailed tortoise"). Also found in Malaysia, Thailand.

The plastron of these animals is used in Chinese traditional medicine. Currently, the number of these turtles has declined significantly.

APPEARANCE

The color of the carapace is grayish-brown, sometimes orange, with a dark border on the plates. The limbs are dark, the head is light. Individuals living in Malaysia are brown in color. The plastron is light yellow, with a dark spot on each plate.

LIFESTYLE

Asian turtles live in forests and highlands. They feed on bamboo shoots and other plants.

The mating season begins in the rainy season.

The greatest activity of the young Schweiger tortoises is shown in the morning hours, during the day they rest in the shelter, in the evening they crawl out again to eat.

In captivity, Asian tortoises are often sick, poorly fed, and usually die within a few weeks of being caught.

Many lovers who have achieved certain results in keeping reptiles are advised to give animals juicy fruits (mango, guava, black grapes, bananas) as food.

Asian turtle

Hermann's tortoises are widely distributed in South-Eastern Europe, Southern California, Southern Italy, Albania, Greece, the Balkans. The second population lives in the north of Spain, the south of France and some islands of the Western Mediterranean.

About 10-15 years ago, these turtles were often exported to the UK and many other countries, where they could not acclimatize. Currently, the number of these turtles has recovered.

APPEARANCE

Young animals have a bright yellow pattern on the carapace, darkening with age. The inhabitants of Italy, France and the Mediterranean islands are colored brighter than the representatives of the second variety. They have red spots and specks on the plastron.

LIFESTYLE

AT natural conditions the female arranges a nest on the slopes, in which she lays from 2 to 12 eggs.

The incubation period, depending on the temperature, is 90-120 days. Newborn cubs are just as brightly colored as adults. Already on the third day after birth, they begin to forage.

In captivity, Hermann's tortoises eat plant food, as well as snails and slugs. Particular preference is given to strawberries, figs and snails.

The Central Asian (steppe land) tortoise is a rare breed of reptile that inhabits the sandy plains of North America. You can also meet animals in Central Asia. True, there they prefer uneven surfaces. In smaller numbers, steppe turtles live in Arab countries, Russia. India. The shape of the shell, the coloring resembles a Mediterranean tortoise. The main difference is that in steppe turtles the top of the shell is slightly flat. It is not difficult to distinguish females from males. There are always more females. The head of the turtle is small, has a slightly flattened shape. The eyes are black, without pronounced pupils. On the front thick, short legs, four pairs of claws can be counted. From under the shell you can see a small tail of a triangular shape.

Despite the fact that this breed of turtles is on the verge of extinction, animals continue to be kept as pets. The Central Asian tortoise is large, and the animal is also considered the slowest among other members of its family. At proper care the pet lives up to fifty years. Before buying a turtle, take care of housing. Ideal for terrarium and aquarium. In it, the animal should be spacious, 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 crops). Sprouts will serve as additional food for your pet. It is not recommended to plant two males at once in one terrarium. Sometimes they can provoke conflicts that will negatively affect the health of one of the animals. Where is the best place to buy a pair? Individuals of different sexes get along well together. At the age of six, they can give offspring. Sometimes the female may not be ready to mate. Under such conditions this procedure better to move. Some time after mating, the expectant mother begins to lay eggs. The female digs them shallow into the soil. It is recommended to immediately move the eggs to a special container. This will protect the embryos from injury, premature hatching. In the incubator, the eggs are kept under special ultraviolet paws for four months. The air temperature should be about twenty-eight degrees. Humidity - not less than fifty percent. 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, various greens. Periodically feed your pet with boiled fish without salt, spices. You can buy special food at the pet store. Food supplements, vitamins. Change the water in the drinkers daily. Remember that turtles are used to light. So take them outside regularly. Sun rays very beneficial for the animal. It is recommended to bathe the turtles in warm water once every seven days. The water temperature should not be higher than thirty-five degrees. Cleaning the terrarium should be done once a week. Wash water bowls and feeders regularly. Make sure that the cage does not stand in a draft. In hot weather, you need to bathe the reptile more often.

Turtles (lat. Testudines) are representatives of one of the four orders of modern reptiles belonging to the Chordata type. The age of fossil remains of turtles is 200-220 million years. is 200-220 million years.

Turtle Description

According to most scientists, during the last 150 million years appearance and the structure of the turtles remained practically unchanged.

Appearance

The main distinguishing feature of the turtle is the presence of a shell, represented by a very complex bone-skin formation, covering the body of the reptile from all sides and protecting the animal from the attack of numerous predators. The inner part of the shell is characterized by the presence of bone plates, and the outer part is characterized by leathery shields. Such a shell has a dorsal and abdominal parts. The first part, called the carapace, is distinguished by a convex shape, and the plastron, or abdominal part, is always flat.

It is interesting! The turtle body has a strong fusion with the shell part, from which the head, tail and limbs peep out between the plastron and the carapace. When any danger appears, turtles are able to completely hide inside the shell.

The turtle has no teeth, but has a beak pointed at the edges and strong enough to allow the animal to easily bite off pieces of food. Turtles, along with some snakes and crocodiles, lay leathery-type eggs, but reptiles most often do not care for their offspring, so they leave the laying site almost immediately.

Turtles of different species vary greatly in size and weight. For example, the length of a land spider turtle does not exceed 100 mm with a weight in the range of 90-100 g, and the size of an adult leatherback turtle reaches 250 cm with a weight of more than half a ton. Among the currently known land tortoises, the Galapagos elephant tortoises belong to the giant category, the shell length of which exceeds a meter, and the mass can be four centners.

The color of turtles, as a rule, is very modest, allowing the reptile to easily disguise itself as objects of the environment. However, there are also several types that are distinguished by a very bright and contrasting pattern. For example, the radiant tortoise in the central part of the armored scutes has a characteristic dark background with bright yellow spots located on it and numerous outgoing rays. The area of ​​the head and neck of the red-eared tortoise is decorated with a pattern represented by wavy lines and stripes, and bright red spots are located behind the eyes.

Character and lifestyle

Even despite the insufficient level of brain development, as a result of testing, it was possible to determine that the intelligence of the turtle shows fairly high results. It should be noted that not only terrestrial, but also many freshwater species of turtles, including European marsh and Caspian turtles, took part in such experiments.

Turtles are reptiles leading a solitary lifestyle, but such animals need a society of their own kind with the onset of the mating season. Sometimes turtles gather for the wintering period in not too numerous groups. Some freshwater species, including toad turtles (Phrynops geoffroanus), are characterized by an aggressive reaction to the presence of their relatives, even outside the mating season.

How long do turtles live

Almost all existing species Turtles deservedly belong to the category of long-lived record holders among numerous vertebrates.

It is interesting! The well-known Radiant Madagascar tortoise named Tui Malila managed to live for almost two hundred years.

The age of such a reptile often exceeds a century. According to scientists, the turtle is able to live even two hundred or more years.

turtle shell

The carapace of the turtle is distinguished by a convex shape, represented by a bone base and a horn covering. The bone base of the carapace consists of eight pre-sacral vertebrae, as well as dorsal costal sections. Typical turtles have fifty plates of mixed origin.

The shape and number of such shields are a very important feature that allows you to determine the species of the turtle:

• land species they usually have a high, convex and very thick upper armored shield, which is associated with general indicators of intestinal volume. The dome-shaped form provides a significant internal space, facilitating the digestion of vegetable roughage;
• burrowing land species have a more flattened elongated carapace, which helps the reptile to easily move inside the hole;
• for various freshwater and sea turtles, the presence of a flattened, smooth and streamlined carapace, which has an oval, ovoid or teardrop shape, is most often characteristic, but the bone base may well be reduced;
• soft-bodied species of turtles are distinguished by a very flat carapace, the bone base of which is always quite strongly reduced in the absence of horny scutes and the presence of a leathery coating on the shell;
• the carapace in leatherback turtles does not have any fusion with the axial part of the skeleton, therefore it is formed by a mosaic of small bones combined with each other, which are covered by the skin;
• some tortoises are characterized by a carapace in the presence of a well-formed, semi-flexible synarthrosis-type junction with cartilaginous tissues at the junctions of the plates.

The border of the armored horny scutes can be imprinted on the surface of the bone carapace, and the horny shell, or scutes of the horn type, have names similar to the located bone plates.

Turtle species

Currently, more than three hundred species of turtles belonging to fourteen families are known. Some of these peculiar reptiles lead an exclusively land lifestyle, while the other part is characterized by excellent adaptation to the aquatic environment.

The following species live on the territory of our country:

• big-headed turtles, or caretta, or (lat. Caretta caretta) - reaching a length of 75-95 cm with an average weight in the range of 80-200 kg. The species has a heart-shaped carapace, brownish, red-brown or olive in color. The plastron and bony bridge may be cream or yellowish in color. There are ten costal shields in the back region, and large shields also cover the massive head. The front flippers are equipped with a pair of claws;
• leatherback turtles, or loot(lat. Dermochelys coriacea) is the only modern species belonging to the leatherback turtle family (Dermoshelyidae). Representatives are the largest modern turtles, having a body length of 260 cm with a front flipper span of 250 cm and a body weight of up to 890-915 kg;
• Far Eastern turtles, or Chinese Trionics(lat. Relodiscus sinensis) - freshwater turtles, which are a member of the family Three-clawed soft-bodied turtles. In Asian countries, meat is widely eaten, so the reptile is one of the objects for industrial breeding. The length of the carapace of an adult, as a rule, does not exceed a quarter of a meter, and the average weight is 4.0-4.5 kg;
• European marsh turtles(lat. Emys orbicularis) - freshwater turtles with an oval, low and slightly convex, smooth carapace, which has a movable connection with the plastron through a narrow and elastic ligament. The length of an adult individual of this species is 12-35 cm with a body weight of one and a half kilograms;
• Caspian turtles(lat. Mauremys caspisa) - reptiles belonging to the genus aquatic turtles and the Asian family freshwater turtles. The species is represented by three subspecies. An adult is characterized by a length of 28-30 cm and an oval-shaped carapace. Juveniles of this species are distinguished by a keeled carapace. Adult males have an elongated carapace with a somewhat concave plastron;
• mediterranean, or Greek, or Caucasian tortoise(lat. Testudo grace) - a species that has a high and oval, slightly serrated carapace with a length of 33-35 cm, light olive or yellowish-brown in color with black spots. The front paws have four or five claws. The back side of the thighs is provided with a horny tubercle. Often a turtle of this species has an unpaired tail shield, the plastron of which is distinguished by a light color and dark spots.

On the territory of Kazakhstan and the countries of Central Asia, the Central Asian or steppe tortoise (Agrionemys horsfieldii) is often found. The species is characterized by a low, rounded, yellowish-brown shell with vague-type dark-colored spots. The carapace is divided into thirteen horny scutes, and the plastron is divided into sixteen scutes. The grooves present on the shields make it easy to determine the number of years lived by the turtle. Average length turtles do not exceed 15-20 cm, and females of this species, as a rule, are noticeably larger than males.

Range, habitats

The range and habitats of different species of turtles are very diverse:

• elephant turtle (Chelonoidis elerhantorus) - Galapagos Islands;
• Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) – Northern part Africa and the Middle East;
• (Testudo (Agrionemys) horsfieldii) - Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Lebanon and Syria, the north-eastern part of Iran, the north-west of India and Pakistan;
• or ( Geochelone pardalis) - countries of Africa;
• Cape tortoise (Homorus Signatus) – South Africa and southern part Namibia;
• painted or decorated turtle (Chrysemys rista) – Canada and USA;
• (Emys orbicularis) - the countries of Europe and Asia, the territory of the Caucasus;
• or ( Trachemys scripta) - the USA and Canada, the northwestern part of South America, including the north of Colombia and Venezuela;
• (Сhelydra serpentina) - the United States and the southeastern part of Canada.

The inhabitants of the seas and oceans are real carriage (Heretmoshelys imbricata), (Dermochelys coriacea), Green soup turtle (Сhelonia mydas). Freshwater reptiles live in rivers, lakes and swamps of the temperate Eurasian belt, and also inhabit water bodies in Africa, South America, Europe and Asia.

Turtle Diet

The food preferences of turtles directly depend on the species characteristics and habitat of such a reptile. The basis of nutrition of land turtles is represented by plant foods, including young branches. different trees, vegetables and fruits, grass and mushrooms, and to replenish the amount of protein, such animals eat snails, slugs or worms. The need for water is often satisfied in the process of eating the succulent parts of plants.

Freshwater and sea turtles can be categorized typical predators feeding on small fish, frogs, snails and crustaceans, bird eggs, insects, various mollusks and arthropods. Plant foods are eaten in small quantities. Herbivorous individuals are also characterized by eating animal food. There are also species of freshwater turtles that, as they grow older, switch to eating plant food. Omnivorous sea turtles are also well studied.

Reproduction and offspring

With the onset of the mating season, adult male turtles arrange traditional tournament fights and fights among themselves for the right to mate with the female. Land tortoises at such a time pursue their rival and try to turn him over by biting or hitting the front of the shell. Aquatic species in battles prefer biting and chasing an opponent. Subsequent courtship allows the female to assume the most comfortable mating position.

Males belonging to some species, in the process of mating, are able to make rather primitive sounds. All known species of modern turtles are oviparous animals, so the females lay their eggs inside a pitcher-shaped hole dug with their hind legs and moistened with a liquid secreted by the cloaca.

A hole with white spherical or elliptical eggs is filled up, and the soil is compacted with the help of plastron blows. Sea turtles and some side-necked turtles lay eggs covered with a soft and leathery shell. The number of eggs varies among representatives of different species and can range from 1 to 200 pieces.

It is interesting! Giant tortoises (Megaloshelys gigantea) have behavioral mechanisms that regulate population size by the number of eggs laid annually.

Many turtles have several clutches during one season, and the incubation period, as a rule, lasts from two months to six months. An exception that takes care of its offspring is the brown turtle (Manouria emys), the females of which guard the nest with oviposition until the cubs are born. Also interesting is the behavior of the Bahamian decorated tortoise (Pseudemys malonei), which digs up the egg-laying and facilitates the exit of the cubs.

Amazing variety of land turtles. There are crumbs among them, which, no matter how much they grow, will not grow more than 10 cm. There are also heavyweights - up to half a ton. And there is ordinary species and subspecies ... She is called Central Asian, Steppe, Russian. She is the Horsfield Turtle.

Central Asian, Steppe tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii, Agrionemys horsfieldii) - semi-deserts of Central Asia. It is found both in South Kazakhstan and in India. Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan are states where you can also see these reptiles. In Russia, the Central Asian or steppe tortoise is extremely rare and has been seen near the northeastern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the south of the Orenburg region.

River valleys, sandy and clay deserts and semi-deserts, and even fields and agricultural lands are the "home" for this species of turtles. It was also found in the foothills and mountains (up to 1200 m). This confirms the evidence that Central Asian tortoises can move perfectly along steep steeps.

Description

A low shell from 3 to 20-25 cm long. Rounded and slightly flattened at the very top, similar to a pie. The color of the carapace is brown-yellow-olive with vague outlines of dark spots - the color of the soil where it is found. The plastron is dark in color and has 16 horny scutes. The carapace also has 13 horny scutes, with grooves on each. Their number corresponds to the approximate age of the turtle. 25 shields are located on the sides. On the front paws there are 4 clawed fingers.

The male on the back of the thigh has 1 horny tubercle. The female has 3-5. Females are always larger than males. Hooked upper jaw. With favorable conditions, it can live 40-50 years. The Central Asian tortoise grows throughout its life.

Food

AT natural environment The Central Asian tortoise feeds mainly on vegetation: perennial grasses and shoots of shrubs, gourds, berries, and occasionally fruit carrion.

At home, turtles are useful. Greens, lettuce, coarse fiber (dry herbs and hay), leaves edible plants should make up about 80% of the total dietary intake. About 15% vegetables. Fruit - 5%.

It is better not to feed the turtle from the hands. And it is advisable to put the chopped food in a bowl or specially adapted "lunch" surfaces to prevent swallowing the soil.

Young turtles are fed daily. Turtles "aged" - once every 2-3 days (individuals whose size according to the plastron is 10 cm or more). The amount of food should be given within reasonable limits, usually from ½ the size of the shell, until the turtle is saturated.

In nature, the steppe or Central Asian tortoise lives in arid conditions with sparse vegetation. Therefore, when compiling a diet, one must take into account that very sweet and overly juicy foods are not natural for them and can cause fermentation in the stomach. Plant diversity of feed should be moderate!

Do not feed turtles cat or dog food. "Human food" - meat and fish, bread and milk, cottage cheese, eggs is also not recommended to feed the animal.

In a terrarium where a pet lives, it is desirable to have a source of calcium. It might be sepia. And powdered vitamin supplements. Many companies produce such drugs, there are plenty to choose from.

The turtle does not need regular water. Water bowls in the terrarium are not required, as they can be trampled, spilled, turned upside down. But excessive humidity in the "turtle house" is highly undesirable.

reproduction

In nature, only by the age of 10, this type of reptile reaches sexual maturity, and females are later than males. In early spring, when the steppe turtles have a mating season, in their habitats, the sound of shells and the hoarse cries of males caring for their chosen ones are heard.

In captivity, the sexual maturity of animals occurs at the age of 5-6 years. The time for laying eggs in dense soil or slightly damp sand is April-July. The wells are 0.5 cm deep and about 4 mm in diameter. Clutches can be from 1 to 3, with 2-6 eggs each. Eggs are 40x57 mm in size, weighing about 30 g. Incubation lasts 60-65 days at a temperature of 28-30 ° C and a humidity of 50-70%.

Small turtles 3-5 cm in size hatch in August-October. But it happens that they stay for the winter, coming out "into the light" only in the spring. At birth, the yolk sac is not retracted in baby turtles, and the egg tooth is well defined. They begin to feed 2-4 days after the yolk sac is retracted. At 2-3 months, standard food is added to the diet of turtles.

Terrarium arrangement

There must be a soil consisting of large pebbles in a warm corner, sawdust / wood chips / hay. Feeder and house.

An incandescent lamp (40-60 W) is a source of heat, creating a necessary-sufficient temperature gradient, in which the reptile itself can choose the ideal temperature for it. The vital importance of heat contributes to the development of processes in which the tortoise is able to bask only thanks to external sources heat and thereby ensure the normal functioning of the body. In the absence of heat, the reduced metabolism slows down even more. Food rots in the stomach without being digested, which may cause gastrointestinal disorders. The temperature regime of keeping in the cold corner near the house is about 24-26 ° C and 30-33 ° C - in the warm corner under the lamp. The temperature regime of the lamp can be adjusted by raising or lowering the lamp, or by placing incandescent lamps of different power.

A special ultraviolet lamp for reptiles (10% UVB) should be placed at a distance of 25 cm from the animal (not higher than 40 and not lower than 20). The UV lamp does not heat the terrarium, but provides the turtle with the necessary ultraviolet light, which is needed for natural life - the absorption of vitamin D3, calcium and all essential trace elements. In nature, the turtle receives it through the sun's rays.

Turtles prefer to "seek their own shelter" by themselves, burrowing into the gravel. Any draft or sudden change in temperature, even in a terrarium, can cause a cold in animals.

Turtle pen

It is done in one of the free corners of the room. The heating lamp is located at one of the walls of the corral. The turtle itself is able to choose the temperature it needs in this moment. In the summer, it’s a good idea to equip the corral on suburban area. To make it easy to find the "hidden" turtle, you can fix a balloon or a conspicuous flag on a high pole with tape on the carapace. If a temperature conditions allow, then you can leave the turtle in the paddock and at night.

Free content on the floor in the house is not allowed! An exception is when the pen is on a fenced and heated floor with soil, without drafts and temperature changes, with the necessary lamps.

Care: It is advisable to bathe turtles in ordinary warm water once every 1-2 weeks. Water temperature 31–35°С. Height - up to the level of the turtle's head (2/3 of the height of the shell). Such a bath replenishes the water-salt balance and moisture reserves in the reptile's body, and normalizes the functioning of the intestines. No water additives are required.

The species of the Central Asian, steppe tortoise is listed in the International Red Book.

An Uzbek legend tells about the origin/appearance of the tortoise. One swindler-merchant so unceremoniously and openly hung on his customers that, in the end, people became indignant, calling on Allah. Allah, angry, took the scales of the merchant and squeezed the swindler with them: "You will always bear the evidence of your deceit." So the head and limbs remained sticking out of the weight bowls, turning the merchant into a turtle.

In the heat, the turtle hibernates, not burrowing very deep into the ground. In autumn, the depth is 1 m.

Turtles can dig tunnels up to 2 m long with chambers up to half a meter in diameter.

The tortoise shell is the fused bones of the spine and ribs, and just as humans cannot “get out” of their skeleton, so the tortoise cannot free itself from the shell.

The excrement of the Central Asian tortoise is brown in the form of oblong sausages and can appear 1-2 times a day. The amount of urine depends on the composition of the feed. In appearance, it is transparent, sometimes contains white secretions of uric acid salts.

Land (steppe) Central Asian tortoise — Video