With the increase of life pressure, more and more people choose to raise a small pet to enrich their amateur life, without noisy and hairy turtles, but also deeply attracted the attention of pet owners, and the tortoises on the market are various, how to choose? The following is to introduce the common turtle species and their characteristics, the article is longer, we published in three articles.
1, Brazilian red-eared turtle
Brazilian tortoise
Commonly known as Ba Shen, one of the world's most dangerous 100 invasive alien species, one of the most common turtles on the market, native to the central United States to northern Mexico, the turtle seedling period color is bright and eye-catching, the whole body is covered with yellow and green inlays, uneven thickness and patterns, as the individual grows, the color, pattern gradually fades. The optimal temperature is 20 ~ 32 ° C, hibernation below 11 ° C, and deep hibernation below 6 ° C.
The Brazilian red-eared turtle has the habit of basking in the sun but cannot be basked for a long time. Outdoor turtle boxes cannot be placed in places with long-term direct sunlight, and must have shading facilities. It can eat fish, pork, animal offal, mussels, snails and blood worms (mosquito larvae), red worms (water earthworms), yellow mealworms (bread worms), fly maggots, etc., and also eat vegetable leaves, rice, melons and fruits and other plants. The Feeding Time of the Brazilian Red-eared Turtle is non-selective and eats evenly day and night. In the state of hunger, there is food grabbing behavior, and the phenomenon of eating big and small occurs, the adaptability is extremely strong, the reproductive ability is also amazing, and there is also the ability to resist diseases. Polyculture with other turtles is not recommended to avoid incidents such as bites.
2, Chinese grass turtle, Chinese flower turtle
tortoise
Flower turtle
Talking about the Chinese grass turtle, it has to be said that the prototype of the ancient Chinese myth Xuanwu is the grass turtle, not only the representative of the myth, the grass turtle also symbolizes longevity and health, which is the most widely distributed in China, commonly known as the turtle, the money turtle and so on. It is also most popular in Southeast Asia. The body of the grass turtle is oblong-oval, the dorsal carapace is slightly raised, and there are three longitudinal ridges, with obvious ridges. The top of the head is black olive, the skin of the front is smooth, and the back is finely scaled. The ventral carapace is flat and the posterior end is undercut. The neck, limbs, and bare skin are grayish-black or black olive. Gentle temperament. When confronted with predators or frightened, the head, limbs and tail are shrunk into the shell. It is an omnivore that feeds on small animal fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, etc. When the temperature drops below 15 ° C, it hibernates in the silt or covered loose soil. The hibernation period generally runs from November to the beginning of April of the following year, when the water temperature rises to 15 °C, the cave activity is active, and the water temperature is 18 °C ~ 20 °C and the feeding begins.
3, alligator turtle (large alligator turtle, Buddha crocodile turtle, North American crocodile turtle)
North American alligator turtle
Large alligator turtle
The oldest surviving reptile, one of the world's largest freshwater turtles, known as the king of freshwater animals, is divided into two major species, commonly known as large crocodiles and small crocodiles. Large crocodile is also known as the true alligator turtle (produced in north America southeast of the United States), small crocodile is also known as the alligator turtle, there are four subspecies, namely North America, Florida, South America, Central America, common North America and Florida, because of its large size and aggressiveness, in addition to the alligator has fewer natural enemies. It has lost its habitat due to human hunting and is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Later, because of its high ornamental value and strong adaptability, it is favored by domestic turtle lovers.
Crocodile turtles look like crocodiles, set turtles and crocodiles in one, so called crocodile turtles. Its head is thick and can not be completely retracted into the shell, the neck is short and stout, the collar back is long with brown flesh thorns, the eyes are small, the mouth is smaller and lower, the snout is pointed, the tail is pointed and long, the sides are edged, the edges are long, there are fleshy spikes on the edges, there is a scaly ridged ridge two-thirds of the front of the tail back, and it is serrated, the back shell is very thin, the epithelium is mainly brown, occasionally brownish yellow, the back has three blurred edges, and there are radial markings, the posterior edge is toothed, the abdomen is white, occasionally there are small black spots, and when it is young, the limbs are thick and muscular, The claws are sharp and powerful, and they are good at crawling.
It maintained the characteristics of the original turtle, the mouth, the back armor shield, the red tongue are very peculiar, there are many fleshy protrusions on the head and neck, the shell is long and thick, there are 3 raised longitudinal ridges on the back, the shield is tan, the 13 shields are like 13 hills rolling in three rows, and the edges of the dorsal carapace have many jagged protrusions, making them look like armored dinosaurs. They differ from alligator turtles in that they have three rows of spines on their shells. They are solid grey, brown, golden yellow, black or olive green (many times covered with a layer of algae). There are scattered yellow markings around the eyes, which grow on both sides of the mouth, small and sharp, and have star-like fleshy "eyelashes". The tongue of a true alligator turtle has a bright red and forked worm-like fleshy process that is connected to the tongue by a round muscle in the middle. The ends are freely retractable and moving, and the tongue is shaped like a worm and used to lure fish. They will lie quietly in the water and wait patiently for their prey. Their tongues mimic the movements of worms, attracting prey to swim into their mouths. When prey enters the mouth, they will quickly close the mouth and complete the ambush. Its tail is thin and long and hard like a steel whip, and unlike other turtles, its head and feet cannot be retracted into the shell.
True crocodile turtle bites the second highest in the world. If you are persecuted, you will become very aggressive. The upper and lower jaws at the front of its mouth are hook-shaped, like an eagle's beak, so sharp that an adult alligator turtle can easily bite a person's finger, and it must be extremely careful to play with them. 2 °C ~ 38 °C normal life, above 1 °C can be normal overwintering, below 12 °C into a shallow hibernation state, 6 °C into deep hibernation, 15 °C ~ 17 °C a small amount of activity above 18 °C normal feeding, 20 °C ~ 33 °C optimal activity, foraging, 28 °C ~ 30 °C optimal growth, above 34 °C less movement, lying on the bottom of the water and sediment to avoid heat.
The basic habits of large alligator turtles and small alligator turtles are similar. Usually it is not aggressive in the water, but it can be rushed and bitten on land. Finger and toe webbed, aquatic habitat, inhabit deep rivers, lakes, mud pools, occasionally contact with saltwater areas. Under artificial breeding conditions, crocodile turtles have good adaptability to shallow water and deep water, but in the juvenile stage, due to their weak swimming ability, they should be given a shallow water environment. Crocodile turtles have a heterogeneous diet, partial carnivorous, mainly fish, shrimp, frogs, salamanders, small snakes, ducks, water birds, intersocient aquatic plants, fallen fruits. He prefers to be active and fed at night.
4, Golden Turtle (East Brocade, West Golden Turtle, South Golden Turtle)
East Turtle
Southern Turtle
West Turtle
The turtle is divided into four subspecies. Although all the varieties are somewhat similar, there are enough differences between subspecies that can be easily distinguished. All turtles have smooth dorsal carapaces from dark green to black, without ridges and jagged protrusions. It is usually red at the seams between the dorsal armor shield plates.
The courtship of the turtle is quite graceful, occurring from March to mid-June. The male will slowly chase the female and overtake her, then turn around and come face to face with her. He waved his long front paws to strike her head and neck. If the female accepts the male's courtship, she responds by tapping his outstretched limb with her front paws. The male will then swim elsewhere and try to lure the female to follow. Eventually the female will sink to the bottom of the pool for mating.
Many adults grow quite small, but they can grow up to 16-17 cm. All kinds of animals and plants, dead or alive, will become their meal on the plate. These include: snails, slugs, insects, crayfish, tadpoles, small fish, carrion, algae and aquatic plants. Young turtles are carnivorous, and as they age, older turtles tend to feed on plants.
Nishiki loves to bask in the sun. There were as many as fifty turtles clustered on top of each other on a log. Even baby turtles have been seen basking on their backs. There are many important implications for basking in the sun. Heat allows the turtle to maintain a suitable body temperature. Ultraviolet light can remove parasites from the skin and is also an element of vitamin D3 synthesis.
Well, the above are a few common good turtles on the market, and the next article will introduce the most difficult turtles and other classifications. Thank you all for browsing this!