North American letter eared turtle
| North American letter eared turtle | ||||||||||||
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North American letter eared turtle |
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| Trachemys scripta | ||||||||||||
| ( Thunberg in Schoepff , 1792) |
The North American letter- eared tortoise ( Trachemys scripta ) is a species in the genus of letter-eared tortoises , which is one of the New World pond turtles . The species has a very large distribution area, ranging from New Mexico to Virginia and Alabama. The species is also a very popular animal for keeping in aquaterrariums . Numerous owners have illegally exposed North American letter-eared tortoises because they have either grown too big or too troublesome for them. Introduced populations exist in California , France , South Africa , Bahrain , Japan , South Korea , Guam, and Thailand, among others . The species has been considered invasive in Europe since July 13, 2016 .
The North American letter-eared turtle was added to the “List of Unwanted Species” for the European Union in 2016.
Appearance
North American ear turtles have a carapace between 13 and 25 centimeters. Very large females also reach a length of 30 centimeters. Young turtles have greenish dorsal armor and skin with conspicuous yellow-green to dark green markings and stripes. In adult animals, this conspicuous color increasingly disappears. Adult animals have a reserved olive green. A few individuals - mostly males - become almost black.
The sexes can be differentiated from the fact that the male is usually slightly smaller than the female and has a longer and thicker tail. The cloaca opening lies further outside the abdominal wall. Males also have elongated claws, which plays a certain role in their courtship behavior.
Distribution and subspecies
As a rule, three subspecies are described for the North American letter-headed turtle, which have different distribution areas:
- Red- eared slider turtle ( Trachemys scripta elegans ): The range includes the Mississippi river system from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico and westward to east New Mexico and eastward to Alabama.
- Yellow-cheeked slider turtle ( Trachemys scripta scripta ): The range includes the coastal plain from Virginia to the northeast of Virginia.
- Cumberland ear turtle Trachemys scripta troostii : The range extends from the coastal plain of Virginia to northern Florida.
In their habitat they prefer still waters with a muddy subsoil. They are very hungry for the sun and can often be seen bathing in the sun among several tree trunks protruding from the water.
Reproduction
Females lay up to six clutches per year. The hatching time of the young depends on the distribution area. In the cooler northern regions, it can take up to four months for the young to hatch from the eggs. Occasionally the young animals even hibernate in the nesting pit. In climatically more favorable regions, the young hatch after just two months. The carapace length of hatched young animals is 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters. Females reach fertility between five and seven years of age. Males can reproduce as early as three to five years of age. They can live to be up to 42 years old.
nutrition
Young North American letter-headed turtles in particular live mainly on animal food. With them this makes up up to 70 percent of their food intake. In adult animals, on the other hand, a plant-based diet predominates. It makes up almost 90 percent of them. The diet includes aquatic insects, snails, tadpoles, crustaceans, fish and mussels. The plants eaten include arrowheads, water lilies, duckweed and hyacinths. The animals eat almost exclusively in the water because they need it as a liquid to swallow. Usually the food intake takes place in the early morning hours or in the late afternoon.
literature
- Manfred Rogner : Tortoises - biology, keeping, reproduction , Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5440-1
- Carl H. Ernst, Jeffrey E. Lovich: Turtles of the United States and Canada . Johns Hopkins University Press 2009, ISBN 9780801891212 , pp. 444–470 ( excerpt from Google book search)
Web links
- Homepage about the keeping and breeding of all subspecies of the letter turtle
- University of Michigan website about the North American Letter-eared Tortoise
- Trachemys scripta in The Reptile Database
- Trachemys scripta inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Endangered Species . Posted by: van Dijk, PP, Harding, J. & Hammerson, GA, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
Individual evidence
- Jump up ↑ University of Michigan page on the North American Letter-eared Tortoise.
- ↑ Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141 of the Commission of July 13, 2016 on the adoption of a list of invasive alien species of Union-wide importance (PDF) Official Journal of the European Union, L 189/4 of July 14, 2016 (German version).
- ↑ List of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (PDF) accessed on July 15, 2016.
- ^ A b Carl H. Ernst, Jeffrey E. Lovich: Turtles of the United States and Canada . Johns Hopkins University Press 2009, ISBN 9780801891212 , pp. 444-470. ( Excerpt in the Google book search)
- ↑ based on the list by Rogner, p. 76.
- ↑ Rogner, p. 75.
- Jump up ↑ University of Michigan page on the North American Letter-eared Tortoise.