Tabasco tortoise

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Tabasco tortoise
Dlouhohlávka mexická 9245u.jpg

Tabasco tortoise ( Dermatemys mawii )

Systematics
without rank: Sauropsida
Order : Turtles (Testudinata)
Subordination : Halsberger tortoises (Cryptodira)
Family : Tabasco tortoises
Genre : Dermatemys
Type : Tabasco tortoise
Scientific name of the  family
Dermatemydidae
JE Gray , 1847
Scientific name of the  genus
Dermatemys
JE Gray, 1847
Scientific name of the  species
Dermatemys mawii
JE Gray, 1847

The Tabasco turtle ( Dermatemys mawii ) is a nocturnal water turtle native to Central America .

The German name is derived from the Mexican state of Tabasco , which this species inhabits. The head-trunk length is between 50 and 65 centimeters, the tail is very short. The weight can reach up to 20 kilograms.
The top of the head is yellow or brown in males and olive-colored in females. The shell is oval and olive gray. It lives in larger rivers and lakes and only goes ashore to lay eggs. The 6 to 20 eggs laid in autumn or summer are covered by plants or hidden in the mud to protect them. Tabasca turtles eat vegetarian food on aquatic plants and fruits, young animals also eat fish and crustaceans .

This turtle is common in Central America from southern Mexico to northern Honduras , but is listed by the IUCN as " critically endangered " . Since the meat and eggs of these animals fetched high prices, the Tabasco turtle was hunted down. The CITES has imposed a trade ban of these turtles and there are several regional protection programs.

The Tabasco turtle is the only species in the monotypic family of the Central American river turtle (Dermatemydidae). The Tabasco turtle should not be confused with the pointed-snouted folding turtle ( Kinosternon acutum ), which is called "Tabasco Mud Turtle" in English.

literature

  • David Burnie: Animals, The Great Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-8310-0202-9 .

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