Common eared turtle

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Common eared turtle
Pseudemys concinna floridana (Everglades) .jpg

Common eared turtle ( Pseudemys concinna )

Systematics
Order : Turtles (Testudinata)
Subordination : Halsberger tortoises (Cryptodira)
Family : New World pond turtles (Emydidae)
Subfamily : Deirochelyinae
Genre : Real eared turtles ( Pseudemys )
Type : Common eared turtle
Scientific name
Pseudemys concinna
( Le Conte , 1830)
Common eared tortoise of the subspecies Pseudemys concinna floridana

The common ear turtle or hieroglyphic ear turtle ( Pseudemys concinna ) is a turtle of the genus real ear turtles , which belongs to the New World pond turtle family. It is common in the east and southeast of the United States of America.

Appearance

Adult common ear turtles have a carapace between 30 and 40 centimeters. The back armor is flat and wide. It is olive to brown and has light markings. The central keel of the rear armor, which is also found in adult specimens, is striking.

The belly armor is yellowish to orange and has a dark marking that runs along the armor seam, but this is missing from Pseudemys concinna floridana , whose belly armor is, in contrast, pure yellow. The extremities and the neck show yellow longitudinal stripes. A particularly noticeable strip of this runs from the lower jaw to the neck.

The sexes can be differentiated by the fact that the males have slightly longer claws on the front extremities. Females are generally slightly larger than males. Their back armor is also slightly more arched.

Distribution area and habitat

The range of the common ear turtle extends from east Texas to southern Illinois, from Virginia to Alabama and also includes the Florida peninsula. Isolated populations are also found in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee.

The common ear turtle is mainly a river inhabitant. However, it is also seen in moats, ponds, lakes and even in salt water zones in estuaries. The rivers inhabited by the common ear turtle are slow flowing and have a very rich vegetation. It is unusual that this type of turtle prefers waters with a stony bottom.

Way of life

Common ear turtles usually live in larger communities and usually bask socially on a tree trunk protruding from the water or on stones at the edge of the water. In the northern range, the common ear turtles overwinter in the bottom sludge of water. In their southern range, such as Florida, they are active all year round. Overall, they are very shy animals that only leave the water to sunbathe or lay eggs. At the slightest hint of danger, they dive into the water. They spend a large part of the day under the water surface at a depth of 1 to 1.5 meters, where they either rest on the bottom of the water or search for food. They feed mainly on vegetable food, but also eat animal food.

Reproduction

The common ear turtle usually mates in spring. In the south of the distribution area, mating already occurs in January. In contrast to Pseudemys rubriventris , for example , the courtship behavior of the common ear turtle has been scientifically described. Males pursue the females and first sniff their tail region. They then swim in the front of the female, stretching their necks forwards and downwards and holding their front extremities with the extended claws directly in front of their muzzle. These are then quickly moved in front of your face. When the female is ready to receive, she sinks to the bottom of the water and allows him to mate her. Females not ready to receive swim away. The females usually dig their nesting pits in late May or June. But eggs are also laid in late summer. The nesting pits are about 30 meters from the water. The clutch usually contains between six and seventeen eggs. The hatching time of the young depends on the ambient temperature and is between 66 and 114 days. Only males hatch at an ambient temperature of 22 to 25 degrees. Only females hatch at temperatures above 30 degrees. In the northern distribution area, newly hatched young often overwinter in the nesting pit and only come to the surface in the coming spring.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are known:

  • Western hieroglyphic jewelry turtle ( Pseudemys concinna concinna (Le Conte, 1830)) - back armor with a reddish-brown base color
  • Florida ear turtles ( Pseudemys concinna floridana (Le Conte, 1830)) - pure yellow belly shell; It can be confused with Pseudemys peninsularis , but the difference is that it has hairpin-shaped head drawings.
  • Suwannee Ornate Tortoise ( Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis (Carr, 1937)) (also as a separate species Pseudemys suwanniensis ) - drawn similarly to Pseudemys concinna concinna but darker and without stripes on the hind legs

The subspecies Pseudemys concinna hieroglyphica Holbrook, 1836 and Pseudemys concinna mobilensis Holbrook, 1838 are often seen as synonyms of Pseudemys concinna concinna .

Duration

The common ear turtle is still common in some regions of its range. Overall, however, a population decline can be observed. It is considered threatened in both Illinois and Florida. Above all, human influences, such as hunting the animals that are still eaten in individual regions, have a negative impact. Many animals also fall victim to traffic. Environmental pollution also has a negative impact on the population.

proof

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Manfred Rogner: Tortoises - Biology, keeping, reproduction. Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5440-1 , p. 71
  2. ↑ a b c page about the common ear turtle

literature

  • Manfred Rogner: Tortoises - biology, keeping, reproduction , Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5440-1

Web links

Commons : Pseudemys concinna  - collection of images, videos and audio files