In this world
Whether East or West
The turtle has long been considered a symbol of longevity
In fact, its lifespan is not as long as the legend goes
In ancient books
There are many records about the longevity of turtles
Therefore, there is [Turtle Chitose and Spirit]
[Born three hundred years old swimming under the lotus leaves, three thousand years old still under the bushes]
[Tao Tang Dynasty, Yue Tang Kingdom dedicated Chitose God Turtle]
The above is only the speculation of the literati
But in fact, the lifespan of the turtle is difficult to correctly estimate using the characteristics of the appearance
Most lack a solid age record
How is the age of a turtle determined?
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【Estimated age of growth wheel】
Turtles are temperate animals
Body temperature, activity, feeding and growth
There will be significant differences depending on the seasons
So on the shield of the turtle's dorsal carapace or ventral carapace
There will be growth wheels like trees
By the number of growth wheels
The age of different individuals can be estimated
【Abdominal nail growth wheel estimation】
The more common method is now used
Estimate with the growth wheel of the ventral nail
Look at the abdomen of the turtle in the air
Each abdominal patch has a circular pattern
Each lap represents a year
A few laps means a few years
Such as Taiwan's aquatic spotted turtle and chai coffin turtle
Age can be estimated from the number of growth wheels on the abdominal nail
【Calculation of dorsal nail growth wheel】
Evolve with nature's cyclical changes
Turtles have a distinct growth period and hibernation period
During the growth period, the dorsal nails grow at the same time as the body
The concentric rings formed are narrow and tight
When experiencing a winter that stops developing
There is a ring of the year
How many concentric rings on the shield
Then add 1 (broken shell birth is one year)
The actual age of the turtle can be determined accordingly
Such as the terrestrial snake-eating turtle
The growth wheel of the dorsal nail can be counted
Estimate age
【Determination of the pattern of the turtle shell】
The darker the shell
The clearer the lines, the older they get
On the contrary, it is tender
This method is only suitable for turtles when the concentric rings of the turtle's dorsal carapace are clear
For old turtles or turtles with blurred concentric rings
Approximate age can only be deduced
【The above method】Can be judged: [Sexually immature turtle]
And sexually mature turtles
Growth will be slower
The number of wheels that spawn it is extremely difficult to count
Some grow in irregular wet and dry season environments
Or no apparent seasonality
The number of growth wheels is not highly correlated with age
Estimating age by the number of growth wheels is not applicable
In fact, the age identification of the turtle should also be referred to
Population growth habits of this species of turtle
Growing environment and feeding methods
Observe the physical characteristics of turtles of different ages
The simplest truth is that the turtle phase is the same as the human phase
Different age groups have different physiognomy characteristics
Only in this way can we accumulate and summarize more prepared identification methods