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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Different types of turtles

Before analyzing the types of turtles, we must establish the differences between turtles and tortoises. The turtles are the ones that live in the water. The tortoises live on dry land, but they also have the capacity to swim.





The most common type of turtle in USA that is also popular as a pet is the Florida Turtle (chrysemys scripta elegans). It is a middleweight species that reaches 20-25 centimeters as an adult, and a weight of 1.5-2 kilograms. Many times, it is appreciated like a small turtle considering that it only measures 3-4 centimeters at birth, and a weight of 10 grams. When she is young, the turtle has about the same dimensions. It is found in North America subtropical areas, but it is easily adaptable and spread all over the world. The young baby turtles have an intense color, with a green shell with yellow and green stripes. As the baby grows, those expand to the neck, head and members. On each part of the body, on the posterior side of the eye, a red dot can be observed. Sometimes, there is also a red stripe on the head, but this has a less intense color.

As the turtle gets old, the general color of the turtle becomes darker, and when it reaches maturity, it has a brown-green color with violet reflexes. The yellow stripes are less obvious. In the natural environment, they can be found on watercourses that are less deep and flooded areas.



The European turtle (emys obicularis) has small dimensions, with varieties of 15-25 centimeters. The body is different considering the age category, evolving from a rounded shape to an oval one for an adult.

The members of the European turtle are strong, with long claws for the five anterior members and the four posterior ones. As a particularity, we can say that the claws are united with a membrane that allows them to swim easily.

The body is enclosed with a bone shell, covered with bone scales. Even if it is called the European Turtle, it can be found in Northern Africa and Eastern Asia also. This turtle likes to stay on the shore of the river, but at the smallest alarm, it jumps into the water and disappears. It is an agile species that can swim easily, where it also eats. It is carnivore, expecting the pray covered by aquatic vegetation. The European turtle eats roaches, rodents and even small birds, worms and insects. During the winter, the turtle hibernates on the bottom of the water. At the end of May, the female lays 3-16 eggs in flooded areas, but not far from the shores of the water.

There are many other types of turtles, but those two species are the most common one as pets. They are small enough for an average aquarium, and they are not so pretentious when it comes to food. It is estimated that 60% of pet turtles are a part of one of those species.

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