Types of turtles living on the Black Sea coast. Briefly about the nutritional features of the river turtle

The tortoise is one of the most interesting groups of reptiles. Scientists who studied the ancient remains in order to find out how many years she lives on the planet, found that their existence on Earth lasts more than 220 million years. These are rare animals that can live on land and in water. The turtle is a reptile that has 328 species grouped into 14 families.

Name origin

If we consider the Slavic and Latin origin of the name of the reptile, then it is easy to see the common. Both languages ​​show in the word a response to the appearance: translated from Latin “tile”, “clay vessel”, “brick”; from Slavic - "shard".

Indeed, many turtles resemble the stone for which the people who gave this name took them. Despite this etymology of the name, there is also an indication of the unique shape and coloring of hard shells.

What do turtles look like?

In the diversity of turtle species, there are signs common to all that unite them into one order.

The main distinguishing feature of the detachment is the shell, which absolutely all representatives have. It consists of a carapace (dorsal) and a plastron (abdominal), interconnected. This durable device serves, first of all, to protect the animal from enemies. By necessity, the tortoise is fully capable of hiding its body and head into it, lowering its upper part and remaining protected from any attack on it.

The shells are covered with hard horny scutes, which vary in color and shape depending on the species. There are holes in which the paws, head, tail go out and are drawn in as needed.

The strength of the shell, as studies have shown, is so great that it can withstand a weight exceeding the weight of an animal by 200 times.

Reptiles periodically molt: old skin comes off their shell with scales, while the color becomes brighter.

How much does a turtle weigh? Turtle sizes

The turtle is a unique reptile. Some species can reach gigantic sizes - up to 2 meters, and weigh up to a ton. But there are also tiny representatives, whose weight does not exceed 120 grams, and the size is 10 cm.

Each type of turtle has its own parameters, which we will describe, characterizing them separately.

Paws

All species have four paws, which, if necessary, can be hidden in the shell.

The structure depends on the lifestyle, species. Terrestrial are distinguished by thickened front legs, suitable for digging soil, and powerful hind legs, which help to move on the surface. The river turtle, which lives in fresh water, has membranes between its fingers. The sea turtle, evolving, acquired fins instead of legs, and the front ones are much larger than the back ones.

Tail

Almost everyone has a tail, the length of which depends on the species and lifestyle. If necessary, the tail can be retracted into the shell.

For swimming reptiles, it performs the function of a kind of rudder that helps to maneuver in the water, and is more developed than that of land-based counterparts.

Head and neck

All turtles have a medium-sized head with a streamlined shape. When danger arises, many representatives of this class hide their heads in their shells. But there are turtles that have a fairly large head size and cannot retract it.

Depending on the species, the front part of the head is elongated or flat, but it always ends with nostrils.

The eyes are also located differently: in reptiles living on the ground, they are directed downwards, while in swimming they are much higher. Animals have excellent eyesight and see this world in color.

Some turtles have fairly long necks. In other representatives, they are of medium size and are perfectly retracted into the shell if necessary.

Sometimes these animals sticking their heads out of the water are mistaken for huge snakes.

In many representatives of the species, the oral part begins with a hard beak-shaped process, with which they easily bite off even the hardest food and are able to catch prey. The edges of these processes can be either sharp or jagged.

But they don't have teeth. The chewing movements that reptiles produce are needed to move food down the throat. The language also helps them in this.

Despite the lack of teeth, the jaws of turtles are powerful, able to cope with almost any food.

Sexual characteristics of the turtle

The sex of turtles is determined by their appearance and behavior, since these animals do not have clear genital differences, and it is almost impossible to figure out the sex at a glance. However, males differ from females:

• in the shape of the shell (more elongated in females);
• the lower part of the shell in males is slightly concave, in females it is flat;
• the tail of males is longer, wider and thicker, it is more bent down;
• according to the shape of the anus;
• in males, the claws of the front paws are somewhat longer;
• a small notch in the shell in the tail area is present only in males;
• the behavior of males is active.

In some species, gender, in addition to the indicated signs, is expressed by the color or shape of the head.

In nature, these reptiles are completely herbivorous, carnivorous and omnivorous. Most eat both plant and animal foods.

Lifespan

On average, in the wild, turtles live about 20-30 years. But it depends on the type of reptile. There are centenarians who can reach 200 years of age. As a rule, turtles live longer in captivity, but this also depends on the species and conditions of detention.

Turtle species

The long stay of representatives of this detachment on the planet made it possible to divide into 328 species that differ in external features, size, habitat, diet and lifestyle.

The classification involves the division of reptiles, depending on how they hide their heads in the shell, into crypto-cervical and side-necked. The first group presses the head into the shell by contracting the neck muscles. The second is folded to the side, under one of the front paws.

Another classification is based on the habitat of these reptiles:

• sea ​​turtle - lives in the salty waters of the seas and oceans;
• terrestrial - able to live both on the surface of the earth and in fresh waters; this variety, in turn, is divided into freshwater and land.

This sea turtle has chosen for its life the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and even Indian oceans.

There are two subspecies of these reptiles: the Atlantic and the Eastern Pacific. Its elongated-oblong shell can be not only green, but also dark brown with yellow and white stripes or spots.

The reptiles got their name not for the external color, but for the color of the meat that was eaten.

The green turtle is one of the largest species. The length of its shell can reach up to 2 m, and weight up to 400 kg.

Young individuals live exclusively in the water, where they feed on small fish, mollusks, and jellyfish. Adult reptiles come ashore, where they begin to eat plant foods, which eventually become their main diet.

The tasty meat of these animals was traditionally used for food (they are even called soup), which led to a reduction in the population. Hunting them is currently prohibited in many countries.

The onset of puberty occurs after 10 years, sometimes much later. Reptiles mate in the water, but they make their clutches on the shore, in the same places where their predecessors laid their eggs. They dig very large holes in which up to 200 eggs are placed. Baby turtles, hatching, run towards the water. If they manage to get there, they will spend many years in the ocean, until the moment comes when they themselves have to go ashore to give birth.

If your pet has become a sea turtle, keep in mind that caring for it at home is much more difficult than for terrestrial ones, since you need to have spacious aquariums with water adapted for the reptile.

Another name for this species is Chinese trionyx, or Chinese tortoise. The Far Eastern tortoise prefers to live on the mud-covered bottom of large lakes and rivers with gentle overgrown banks. Their habitat is Primorye, the southern part of the Amur in Russia, Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

The Far Eastern tortoise is green-brown or green-gray in color with pale yellowish spots. Its usual size is about 30 cm, but there were individuals up to 40 cm with a weight of more than 4 kilograms. They have fleshy lips covering strong jaws.

The shell of these animals in young individuals has a rounded shape. It becomes flatter with age. A distinctive feature of young individuals is a bright orange abdomen, the color of which becomes pale over time.

The Chinese turtle is able to hunt both in water and on land, where it gets out to bask in the sun. These reptiles hibernate by burrowing into the mud.

The food of these predatory reptiles consists of fish, mollusks, amphibians and insects. The Far Eastern tortoise can guard its prey for a long time, burrowing into the silt.

At the age of 6-7 years, the Far Eastern tortoise becomes sexually mature. Usually in July they lay their eggs a short distance from the water. During the season, the female makes several clutches, from which about 70 turtles appear. After 1.5 - 2 months, babies appear, whose size is not more than 3 cm. They quickly run to the water and lurk in coastal vegetation and between stones for a long time.

The Far Eastern tortoise has a rather aggressive character and can strongly bite the attacker on it.

If from an early age this turtle lives in the house, then it easily gets used to a person and can even eat from his hands.

Living in the southeast of Eurasia, this steppe loves humid terrain in river valleys, foothills, agricultural land, sandy and clay semi-deserts. Animals dig holes or occupy empty ones.

Observations shed light on how many years this turtle lives. It turns out that life expectancy depends on its activity. At home, in a closed terrarium, she will hardly overcome the 15-year milestone, when in the wild she can live for 30 years. Not in the natural environment, the Central Asian tortoise, even if care and nutrition are as close as possible to natural ones, lives much less.

The Central Asian tortoise does not grow more than 20 cm, while males are slightly smaller than females.

This steppe tortoise hibernates quite early: at the beginning of summer, right after it lays its eggs. This is due to the fact that it is this time in their habitat that is the most arid. The lack of food in sufficient quantities causes them to wait out in a state of sleep.

The Central Asian tortoise has a very beautiful shell - reddish-olive with dark spots of a rounded shape.

Reptiles of this species are dark brown, dark olive, almost black in color with small yellow strokes or spots. A distinctive feature is a very long tail and the absence of a beak.

The habitat of these animals is unusually wide: it can be found in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in Bashkiria, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and even in northwest Africa. They prefer forest, forest-steppe and steppe areas, banks of slow-flowing rivers, wetlands.

These reptiles are found in mountainous regions up to 1500 meters above sea level.

It is impossible to say that this is an aquatic turtle. She prefers to get out on land quite often and moves relatively quickly on it.

The diet of representatives of this species is unusually wide: it eats worms, mollusks, small reptiles, fish, and waterfowl chicks. She does not disdain carrion.

Depending on the region, they become sexually mature at the age of 5-9 years. Egg laying is carried out near water bodies. The sex of the offspring depends on the temperature. At high, females are born, low - contribute to the appearance of males.

Unfortunately, the clutches are attacked by predators (foxes, raccoons, otters, crows), who are happy to eat both the eggs themselves and small turtles.

Another name for these reptiles is directly related to their habitat - the Seychelles giant tortoise. This land animal is endemic to the island of Aldabra.

The size of the shell of this large animal reaches a meter. It flaunts clearly defined shell segments, has rather large legs that help move on land, and a relatively small head.

For its size, the reptile is herbivorous. Everything a turtle eats grows around it. She happily eats all low-growing bushes and grass.

Currently, only 150,000 individuals remain in the wild, so the reptile is protected. On the island where they live, not only hunting is prohibited, but also any economic activity.

Reptiles lay eggs from May to September, and they are able to regulate the population size: if there was not enough food, there will be only 5-6 eggs in their clutches.

It is the largest member of its squad. These reptiles live only on the Galapagos Islands and are not found anywhere else. Their weight sometimes exceeds 400 kg, and the length of the shell reaches 2 m. They have rather muscular paws, on which there are sharp claws (5 on the front and 4 on the back). In case of danger, they retract their head and limbs into the shell.

At the end of the 20th century, the population of these animals was reduced to 3,000 individuals, which became critical, so a decision was made to protect the reptiles.

Currently, there are two varieties of these reptiles, differing in habitat (relatively small individuals live in arid regions), size, color and shape of the shell.

Scientists who actively study the life of Galapagos endemics have identified interesting facts about turtles of this species: for example, that they can eat poisonous plants that no animal eats. In some cases, they are able to live for several months without food and fresh water.

Mating and egg-laying of these giants occurs at any time of the year, but peaks of activity occur during certain seasons.

This reptile is also called or yellow-bellied. The water turtle received its original names solely for the bright accents in color: a red spot flaunts on its head, and its abdomen is yellow.

There are 15 subspecies of these reptiles belonging to the American freshwater family.

The size of the animal depends on the subspecies and sex - from 18 to 30 cm, while males are slightly smaller than females.

The main habitat is America, but its presence is also noted in Europe (Spain and England), in northern Africa, and Australia. They choose swampy areas with low banks for their life, as this river turtle loves to get ashore and bask in the sun.

In Australia, the water turtle is considered a pest, so its numbers are controlled.

The water turtle lays eggs on land, where it pulls out a spherical nest and places up to 20 eggs there. Reptiles of this species do not care about their offspring.

The water turtle feeds on insects, small fish, and worms. She chews her food, completely immersing her head in water. If a water turtle lives in your home, care and feeding should be in accordance with its natural needs.

It has long been found out how many years a turtle lives at home. If the maintenance and care correspond to natural, it may well live for half a century. In nature, this age is somewhat less.

One of the subspecies is the yellow-eared tortoise. As the name implies, its main decoration is the bright color of the shell and a yellow spot in the area of ​​​​the auricle.

The yellow-eared tortoise differs from its red-eared counterparts only in coloring. Their habitat, diet and reproduction are identical.

The yellow-eared turtle perfectly exists at home. Maintenance and care do not require much time and do not cause much trouble to the owners.

Small in size (the maximum length of the shell is not more than 13.5 cm), the reptile has chosen the American continents.

Its dirty-brown shell has three longitudinal ridges, and light stripes are visible on the head.

It lives in small rivers with silty banks, where this river turtle hunts and lays eggs.

When the water temperature drops below 10 degrees, the reptile starts digging a hibernation hole. Unlike many species, musky can sleep in groups. The period of sleep itself does not depend on the season, but on the temperature: in the southern regions, where there are no low temperatures, this reptile is active throughout the year and does not hibernate.

If you have a musk turtle in your house, keeping it alone is undesirable. It is better to have several individuals at once. This will affect how many years the turtle lives at home.

In home aquariums, the musk turtle is quite common, keeping, feeding and caring for it does not require much effort.

Where do turtles live? Habitat

Reptiles of this order live on almost all continents of the world. The only exception is Antarctica and desert regions, the climate of which is completely unsuitable for these animals. Any coast - whether it be oceans or small rivers and lakes, can boast of its own view, or even more than one.

Almost everywhere they find their food: it can be insects, worms, small fish, crustaceans and vegetation. Unpretentiousness in food makes the reptile able to survive in almost any place.

Even in reservoirs located in large cities, you can meet these animals. They come ashore to bask in the sun. During the breeding season, on deserted beaches, you can come across clutches of their eggs.

A turtle is a reptile that has long settled in homes, becoming a favorite pet. Home care for this reptile is negligible, so many choose them for the home.

How many years a turtle lives at home, first of all, depends on the species, age of the animal that came to you, and the conditions in which it will live. Comfortable, as close as possible to the conditions of natural habitat, existence and feeding will allow your pet to live long enough. If the turtle in the house feels good, and the maintenance and care are appropriate, then it can live up to 50 years.

Which turtle is best for home?

Usually river reptiles become pets. The river turtle, once at home, quickly adapts. It does not require a very spacious aquarium to keep it, but it is very important to properly equip it, creating a swimming area and land in it, on which your pet will get out if necessary.

• water (red-eared and yellow-eared);
• European (marsh);
• Central Asian (steppe);
• Far Eastern;
• musk turtle.

Keeping sea turtles in home aquariums is very problematic. Even young individuals require special water, reminiscent of the ocean. And for older ones, very spacious tanks are needed, since in limited spaces the animal will not be able to be active enough, and it also depends on this how many years the turtle lives at home.

Before you buy an animal, get acquainted with useful information about it. Temperature, nutrition and care, activity and the ability to live alone or in pairs are very important for a reptile.

What does a turtle prefer to eat at home?

If you have a pet turtle, feeding, keeping and caring for it should resemble its natural way of life. Before you take a pet, study what it eats in nature, during what periods it is active.

Young individuals, as a rule, consume 70 percent of live food (forage worms, insects, small crustaceans). Growing up, they switch almost completely to plant foods. Suitable for feeding:

• vegetables and tops from them (tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin, carrots, occasionally cucumbers);
• berries (strawberries, strawberries, watermelon);
• fruits (plums, peaches, apples, bananas).

Do not overfeed the animal! If you see that food remains after feeding, be sure to remove it, and subsequently reduce the portions.

If you have a turtle at home, caring for it must necessarily include cleaning the aquarium. Be especially attentive to food leftovers: stale foods can lead to intestinal upset, which will affect how many years the turtle lives at home.

• Representatives of this order of amphibians can boast that they left their mark on the history of astronautics. Two individuals of the Central Asian tortoise species were the first among animals to circle the Moon and return alive to Earth.
• The meat of these animals is a delicacy. But some species are not recommended for consumption. This happens because sometimes this turtle eats poisonous mushrooms or jellyfish. They do not eat the meat of box, leatherback and hawksbill turtles.
• Reptiles of this order are able to swim well and move on land. But the European tortoise can also be called a jumper. She can jump into the water from three-meter mountain ledges.
• Turtles have their long-livers. So in 2006, the oldest tortoise, Advaita, died, whose age, according to experts, was more than 150 years.
• Many are interested in how long a turtle can live without food. In the natural environment, it is quite difficult to determine this time. But for pets - this is a maximum of 3 weeks, given that the animal is in hibernation. In nature, the sleep period can last several months. It is believed that at this time the reptile does not eat at all.
• During courtship and mating, sea turtles stick their heads out of the water and make lingering sounds similar to howls.

An inexperienced eye will not be able to determine how this reptile came to you: straight from an exotic area or from a swamp that can be seen from the window of the house. You can not declassify in front of relatives or friends and say that your pet belongs to the exotic category. In fact, caring for him will cost several times cheaper than for an exotic counterpart, moreover, in appearance, river turtles differ little from sea turtles.

River turtles have a good appetite, so after eating they are emptied into the water. In this regard, there is a need for daily water changes. A cleansing system, if you have one, will not be enough, as the turtle's feces will remain floating in the water. River turtles do not require filtered water - a liquid temperature of 30-32 ° C is quite suitable. It is also recommended to periodically clean the walls of the aquarium and pool, otherwise it will be difficult to get rid of the plaque formed.

River turtles, or marsh turtles, are completely unpretentious in food and care. This is due to their consistently simple habitat. The turtle will survive in your home under any conditions if you pick it up and keep it. Raised in rivers and swamps, these turtles will not accept any expensive food. Also, you do not need to equip a home for them with lighting, a bathroom and toys. You have the right to choose the conditions of existence for your pet, but if you have got a river turtle, know that you are lucky.

What do turtles eat in nature?

Turtles seem harmless only at first glance. In nature, they manifest themselves as predators who easily butcher their prey. In addition to the flesh of the turtle, while in the water, they can eat algae and other marine plants. However, this is not enough for the healthy development of the turtle, so they find a source of protein daily. On land, it can be some insects - wood lice, centipedes, grasshoppers, caterpillars and locusts. Favorite delicacy - worms and insect larvae. Of the aquatic inhabitants, turtles feed on small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans, newts.

A turtle caught from a reservoir for keeping at home is unlikely to agree to other food, and for the owner of the reptile, the main question remains about obtaining food for the turtle. If you can dig up a few worms in the summer, it will be completely impossible in the winter. It is important to know what the river turtle eats so that the pet continues to develop.

What do river turtles eat at home?

A person who has some experience in caring for turtles will certainly say that their nutrition at home directly depends on their species. If sea turtles eat vegetables, berries and fruits with pleasure, river turtles recognize only meat, rarely plants. You should always have the following items in stock for your pet:

1. River fish. Buy small, inexpensive fish that your pet can handle on its own. Adults can be given fish with medium-sized bones. It should be fresh or thawed, but in no case boiled and fried.
2. Meat (mainly beef, veal, turkey). The meat must be raw, boneless. Turtles living in rivers and swamps are accustomed to a hunting lifestyle. These are carnivorous animals that are able to deal with a large piece of meat on their own. Once a week, you can offer beef liver to turtles.
3. Sea cocktail (squid, shrimp). Sea life is very nutritious for the turtle as it is an indispensable source of calcium. It is rare to find fresh shrimp and squid, so in order for them to be suitable for a turtle as food, it is enough to defrost them.
4. Dandelions, cabbage and lettuce leaves. Plants may not be a turtle's main food source, so it is recommended to give them to the turtle for variety.

Despite the fact that turtles are called river turtles, they prefer to spend most of their time not in water, but on land. By the behavior of the turtle, it is easy to notice when it is fully bathed and wants to leave the water. For this case, it is necessary to provide a ledge above the pool, the so-called "berezhok" or a separate basin, where the turtle can not only crawl, but also eat. It is important that the pet leaves the water on its own in order to have a snack, so it is necessary to provide a non-slip ledge.

If the turtle refuses to eat

The river turtle, like a person, has a character that affects food intake. If you noticed that your pet is still healthy and playful, then you need to diversify the diet at least for a while so that the turtle gets new nutrients with other food.

When sick, turtles become lethargic, seem tired, and ignore any offer to eat. In this case, the question arises about the state of health of the pet. People who do not have a special education are not recommended to self-medicate, a herpetologist - a specialist in the study of amphibians - will be happy to examine the turtle and prescribe recommendations for care and nutrition.

Refusal of a turtle from food may be the result of a weakening of the general condition. If you notice that the shell and claws have become soft, this is the first alarm signal indicating a lack of calcium. Of course, the pet will not lose its shell, but will easily cripple it. A turtle caught in the nearest river or swamp, of course, has never eaten cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, beans before, and is unlikely to want to try foods that are not familiar to it. But calcium-rich sardines, shrimp and greens she will taste with great pleasure. As a supplement, it is recommended to give vitamins in jars, which, in addition to calcium, contain all other necessary vitamins and minerals.

Where to find the river turtle?

The river turtle is not classified as exotic, so it is not always possible to buy it at a pet store. Even if she happened to be there, her cost cannot be high, since the river turtle, without exaggeration, can be taken from the street. They do not accept fast and clear waters, therefore they prefer to live in stagnant rivers and swamps. Most often they can be found in the lower reaches of the Don, Volga, Dnieper, Ural. River turtles love to bask in the sun, so they willingly look for a stone for themselves, which they climb out of after a short stay in the water. Finding turtles is not always easy as they hide under rocks and old tree branches. Their color, close to the color of the area in which they live, allows them to remain invisible to humans.

O. GERASIMOVA, M. PESTOV (environmental center "Dront", Nizhny Novgorod). Photo by N. Anufrieva and M. Pestov.

It is hardly worth describing what a turtle looks like. Its only protection - a strong shell - proved so effective that it allowed animals to survive many millions of years of evolution almost unchanged. However, before humans, these reptiles were completely defenseless. They are being hunted relentlessly, and not just for meat and eggs. When tortoiseshell combs, combs, cufflinks and other crafts came into fashion, this very shell, covered with a beautiful pattern, endangered the existence of many species. What can be done to protect animals?

Science and life // Illustrations

Bog turtles can stay underwater for long periods of time, but they need atmospheric air to breathe. Once caught in fishing nets, they suffocate and die.

The female bog turtle is a cute, curious, and full of life creature. In captivity, in urban apartments, these animals quickly lose their bright personality and interest in life.

Male marsh turtle. Unlike yellow-eyed females, males have brown eyes.

In one of the private pet stores in Gelendzhik, with an unwavering hand, they wrote out a sales receipt for a Mediterranean tortoise listed in the Red Book of Russia. The capture and sale of these turtles is strictly prohibited.

Before releasing a Mediterranean tortoise, we give it an individual number so that we can find out about its future fate.

Oddly enough, turtles living in our country suffer mainly from a "good" attitude towards them, namely, from the fashion that arose not so long ago to keep turtles at home as live toys.

There was an erroneous opinion that there is nothing easier than keeping such an undemanding creature: you don’t have to take it out for a walk in any weather three times a day, wash your paws after a walk, and clean the sofa and chairs from wool. But this is a misconception. Like any other animal, reptiles require attention and special care.

The fate of turtles in captivity is most often sad. Having suffered for several years in unsuitable conditions of city apartments, they die without leaving offspring. And in the meantime, more and more new batches go on sale. As a result, populations are severely damaged, and some species are now generally on the verge of extinction.

It is not uncommon to hear that turtle owners are sincerely attached to their pets. But what does this give their pets? With really thoughtful, good care (more on this can be found in articles published in the journal, see "Science and Life" No. 9, 1998; No.), some reptiles can live for more than half a century. Is it possible to guarantee that not only the current owners, but also their children, and possibly grandchildren, will have the patience to take care of the animal?

Most often, as practice shows, the feeling of attachment to the turtle is very often combined with blatant ignorance about its biology and the necessary conditions of detention. For example, some owners are sure that it is enough to feed their pets with dandelions once every six months and that they can generally live for 300 years without food. Sometimes turtles are allowed to “hibernate” on a hot radiator, although they need a shaded, cool, humid place. And we had to listen to stories about how a turtle that fell into hibernation was thrown out, considering it dead, we had to listen dozens of times.

We are members of two divisions of the ecological center "Dront", organized in 1989 with the status of "public institution". Currently, the ecocenter has about 30 structural units, each of which conducts a separate area of ​​work, has its own head and is self-financing. The Youth Ecological and Biological Union "Chilim" was established in 2002 to involve children and adolescents in nature conservation and scientific research. The Nizhny Novgorod Society for the Protection of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Dront Ecocenter seeks to unite the efforts of herpetologists - specialists and amateurs - to study and protect endangered species.

For four years now, we have been implementing the "Attention, turtle!" project, the purpose of which is to organize cooperation and information exchange with herpetologists from other regions and countries in order to develop and implement measures to protect rare species of these reptiles. By spreading information about the project through the media, we collect animals almost all year round in order to return the turtles to their natural environment in late spring and early summer. We take them to their habitats in different ways - depending on the possibilities - by train or by car.

It seems that the main trouble is that the current owners do not know how the captured turtles are delivered to them. In order to clarify the picture, here is just one excerpt from the publication of the Russian representative office of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW):

"On April 25, 2003, the metropolitan environmental police confiscated 1,660 Central Asian turtles from a citizen of Uzbekistan. Small turtles were tightly packed in huge bags, each animal was wrapped with tape to limit mobility and facilitate smuggling. 5 animals died during transportation, another 19 - during the next about a hundred turtles had severe shell deformities."

Of the four species of turtles currently living in our country, two are most often used as living souvenirs: marsh ( Emys orbicularis), common in the lower reaches of the Volga and in other southern regions of the European part of Russia, and Mediterranean ( testudo graeca), living on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in Dagestan. Both species are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Mediterranean species is also listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation in category "1" (a species with a steadily declining population, some populations of which are on the verge of extinction) and in the appendix to the Convention on International Trade in Wildlife Species fauna and flora endangered.

Bog turtles of the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions perish in the hundreds in the nets of fishermen, under the wheels of cars, in trenches dug during the laying of communications, during drainage of reservoirs and during reed fires. Tourists also make a significant "contribution" to the extermination of the species: every year they take a large number of animals outside the Lower Volga region.

However, in the southern part of the Lower Volga region, this species is still quite numerous, and so far no special conservation measures are required. It is enough to carry out the usual fight against fish poaching and environmental education of the population.

Greater concern is the current state of the Mediterranean tortoise. The number of animals is steadily declining, which is noted not only by experts. According to the stories of local residents, earlier in the wild they could be seen almost every day, and recently such meetings occur no more than once a year. One of the causes of the disaster is the uncontrolled fishing of turtles by traders and tourists. The greatest demand is for young, immature individuals under the age of 10 years. Thus, animals fall into captivity without having time to leave offspring, as a result, they are completely lost to the species.

During trips along the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory in Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk, members of our expedition saw Mediterranean turtles openly sold in private pet stores. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, they are also on free sale. Naturally, the capture and sale of these animals is absolutely illegal and theoretically should entail quite serious penalties. In practice, the trade in rare species of turtles is flourishing, bringing considerable income to its organizers, since the fine that they are supposed to pay according to the article of the criminal code looks simply ridiculous.

A few years ago, specialists working on the Red Book of the Nizhny Novgorod Region proposed to include the marsh turtle in the list, since zoologists have repeatedly found it in various regions. It was included in the regional Red Book, but later scientists came to the conclusion that the marsh turtle is not found in the Nizhny Novgorod region, and the individuals they encountered were thrown away by the owners, who were tired of the "toy". Along the way, it turned out that every year tourists who visited the lower reaches of the Volga bring dozens of reptiles to the region, dooming them to a slow death. It was then that the idea arose to organize a collection of marsh turtles.

All kinds of turtles were brought to us during the course of this project: emaciated, with softened and deformed shells, immobilized, dried up like mummies, so much so that many of them could not submerge in water and floated on the surface like a fallen leaf. The story is simple and typical. Having received an animal as a gift from someone, the owners let it crawl on the floor in the apartment and tried to feed it with traditional dandelions. A turtle, firstly, a predator, and secondly, an aquatic animal, can only eat in water. During the year, she refused the plant food offered to her, and the owners were unaware that she needed to be put into the water. During all this time, the animal did not have the opportunity not only to swim, but even to drink enough.

"Our turtles are very kind," the owners of two other marsh turtles told us, "they have never bitten us!" "Good" turtles lay motionless in a cardboard box. They never moved in the three hours of the car ride. Meanwhile, healthy animals would smash such a box to shreds. After a month of rehabilitation in the center, they quickly rose to their hind legs near the glass partition when they began to feed other animals in the neighboring pool, and actively defended their territory, making sharp attacks with their mouths open, as soon as they held their hand next to them.

Over the years of work on the project, we have seen that owners bring Mediterranean turtles much less often than marsh turtles, and some individuals cannot be saved. Obviously, they endure captivity worse and die before they have time to annoy their owners.

On sale, in addition to the swamp and Mediterranean tortoises living in Russia, there is also a Central Asian tortoise ( Argionemys horsfieldii). These inhabitants of semi-deserts and deserts are most often kept in apartments. So far, we have not been able to find a solution to the difficult question: what to do with large consignments of confiscated turtles? It is extremely difficult to officially return animals to their homeland. Moreover, it turned out, for example, that all individuals from the batch confiscated in 2003 are sick with salmonellosis (one of the arguments is not to keep these animals in apartments).

The situation with red-eared turtles looks even more hopeless ( Trachemys scripta elegans). Their homeland is North America, they breed well in captivity, and this species is not yet threatened with extinction. Many willingly buy small bright green turtles with red stripes on their heads for aquariums. Problems begin when the animal grows, loses its brightness and no longer fits in the aquarium. And what should owners do? Turtles are beginning to be offered to friends, school circles, zoos. Sometimes they are simply thrown away or released into the nearest body of water, and this is already an illegal introduction of an alien species, fraught with very serious environmental consequences.

In a number of European countries, in order to protect local water bodies, nurseries have been created where overgrown turtles are taken from the population. There is a similar nursery in the Baltics. In Russia it is not. That is why visitors to the Moscow Zoo must have paid attention to the numerous red-eared turtles that live in the same pool as caimans. They feel good there, they even warm themselves, sitting on the back of the caimans, despite the fact that they have breakfast with them from time to time. You can't blame the zoo staff for cruelty, you can only sympathize with them. Imagine how many individuals are annually brought to the zoo from all over Moscow!

Now, according to our observations, the market is also flooded with Far Eastern soft-bodied turtles - three-clawed trionics ( Trionyx sinensis) is a rare species for Russia. But in neighboring China, they have relatively recently mastered its breeding on farms. Trionyx is often referred to in pet stores as the "Chinese leatherback turtle". Before you get a cute nimble nosed baby, think about the fact that, firstly, it is a predator and very mobile; in the conditions of an ordinary city apartment, it is difficult to create normal conditions for him, and without the necessary warm-up and with improper nutrition, hunchbacked dwarf freaks grow up. Secondly, the weight of an adult Trionix can reach 15 kg. Predators of this size at home are a dangerous toy!

The collection of turtles caught in Russia and their return to their natural habitats is not the main content of the project. Its basis is educational work aimed at reducing consumer demand for reptiles.

In the first years of operation, the project was supported by the Committee for Nature Protection and Environmental Management of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. For the third year, we have been supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). This year, the organization received additional targeted support under the Rufford Foundation (Great Britain) small grants program for the study and protection of the rarest and most endangered tortoise species in Russia - the Mediterranean tortoise. We are trying to trace the entire chain of illegal activities - from the capture of these animals in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions to the sale of live goods in large cities - and take appropriate measures in alliance with local environmental structures. We hope that people, having become more familiar with "turtle problems", will seriously think before catching or buying an animal for home keeping. In any case, in recent years, the number of turtles brought to us by residents has decreased significantly.

Perhaps someone reading this article will think: there are many much more serious problems in our society. But it is no coincidence that the ancient Indians placed the tortoise as the basis of the grandiose cosmogonic pyramid - a symbol of wisdom, endurance and longevity. (Yes, and in many other religions, it was not ignored, making it an object of reverence.) And let us recall the words of the wonderful American poet T. Eliot: "Do not touch the flower, so as not to shake the star and bring down the universe." The extinction of one species will certainly affect the entire ecological chain. And the universe may indeed collapse.

The European marsh turtle (lat. Emys orbicularis) is a very common species of aquatic turtle, which is often kept at home. They live throughout Europe, as well as in the Middle East and even in North Africa.

We will tell you about its habitat in nature, the maintenance and care of the marsh turtle at home.

Habitat in nature

As already mentioned, the European marsh turtle lives in a wide range, covering not only Europe, but also Africa and Asia. Accordingly, it is not listed in the Red Book.

She lives in various reservoirs: ponds, canals, swamps, streams, rivers, even large puddles. Bog turtles live in the water, but they love to bask very much and get out on stones, snags, various garbage to lie under the sun.

Even on cool and overcast days, they attempt to bask in the sun that breaks through the clouds. Like most aquatic turtles in nature, marsh turtles instantly flop into the water at the sight of a person or animal.

Their powerful paws with long claws allow them to swim through thickets with ease and even burrow into muddy ground or under leaf layers. They love aquatic vegetation and hide in it at the slightest opportunity.

Description

The European bog turtle has an oval or rounded carapace, smooth, usually black or yellow-green in color. It is dotted with many small yellow or white spots, sometimes forming rays or lines.

The carapace is smooth when wet and glistens in the sun, becoming more opaque as it dries. The head is large, slightly pointed, without a beak. The skin on the head is dark, often black, with small patches of yellow or white. Paws are dark, also with light spots on them.

Emys orbicularis has several subspecies that differ in coloration, size, or detail, but most often in range. For example, the Sicilian marsh turtle (Emys (orbicularis) trinacris) with a catchy yellow-green carapace and the same skin color. And Emys orbicularis orbicularis living in Russia and Ukraine is almost completely black.

Adult marsh turtles reach a carapace size of up to 35 cm and a weight of up to 1.5 kg. Although, when kept at home, they are usually smaller, despite the fact that the subspecies living in Russia is one of the largest.

The European bog turtle is very similar to the American bog turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) in appearance and habits. They were even assigned to the genus Emys for a long time. However, further study led to the fact that these two species were divided according to differences in the structure of the internal skeleton.

There is no consensus on how long the marsh turtle lives. But, the fact that she is a long-liver, everyone agrees. According to various opinions, life expectancy ranges from 30 to 100.

Availability

The bog turtle can be found commercially or caught in the wild during the warmer months. But, with normal maintenance, owners with zero experience in breeding turtles, offspring are successfully obtained. All individuals kept in captivity are unpretentious and easy to care for.

However, it is important to note that in order to keep a bog turtle, you need to create fairly accurate conditions. And just to bring and put her in a basin will not work. If you caught a turtle in nature, and you only need it for fun, then leave it where you took it. Believe me, this way you will simplify your life and not destroy the animal.

Juvenile bog turtles should be kept indoors, while older ones can be released into home ponds for the summer. For 1-2 turtles, an aquaterrarium with a volume of 100 liters or more is needed, and as they grow, twice as much. For a couple of turtles, you need a 150 x 60 x 50 aquarium, plus land for heating. Since they spend a lot of time in water, the larger the volume, the better.

However, it is important to keep the water clean and change it regularly, plus use a powerful filter. While eating, turtles litter a lot, and there is a lot of waste from it.

All this immediately spoils the water, and dirty water leads to various diseases in aquatic turtles, from bacterial eye diseases to sepsis. To reduce pollution during feeding, the turtle can be planted in a separate container.

Decor and soil can be omitted, since the turtle does not particularly need it, and it is much more difficult to clean up with it in the aquarium.

Approximately ⅓ in the aquarium should be land, to which the turtle must have access. They regularly come out on land to bask, and so that they can do this without access to the sun, a heating lamp is placed above the land.

Heating

Natural sunlight is best, and small turtles should be exposed to sunlight during the summer months. However, this is not always possible and an analogue of sunlight must be created artificially.

To do this, in the aquaterrarium, above the land, they place an incandescent lamp and a special lamp with UV rays - an ultraviolet lamp for reptiles (10% UVB). Moreover, the height must be at least 20 cm so that the animal does not get burned. The temperature on land, under the lamp should be 30-32C, and the length of the daylight hours should be at least 12 hours.

In nature, they hibernate, hibernate, but in captivity they do not do this and you do not need to force them! Home conditions quite allow her to be active throughout the year, this is not winter when there is nothing to eat.

Feeding

What to feed a marsh turtle? The main thing is not what, but how. While feeding, bog turtles are very aggressive!

It feeds on fish, shrimps, beef heart, liver, chicken heart, frogs, worms, crickets, mice, artificial food, snails. The best food is fish, for example, you can run live fish, guppies directly into the aquarium. Juveniles are fed every day, and adult turtles are fed every two to three days. They are very hungry for food and overeat easily.

For normal development, turtles need vitamins and calcium. Usually artificial foods contain everything a turtle needs, so adding food from a pet store to the diet is not superfluous. And yes, they need sunlight to absorb calcium and produce vitamin B3. So do not forget about special lamps and heating.

Appeal

Very smart, they quickly understand that the owner feeds them and will rush to you in the hope of feeding. However, at this moment they are aggressive and you need to be careful. Like all turtles, they are treacherous and can bite, and quite painfully.

They need to be handled with care and generally touched less often. It is better not to give to children, as they carry each other a mutual danger.

The snake "population" of the North Caucasus is quite diverse. Both poisonous and harmless, both water and land snakes are found in the region. You can meet them anywhere - from city lawns and reservoirs to mountain slopes. Large representatives of the squamous order, of course, avoid life in settlements, but they may well live in fields along roads. The nature of local snakes, as noted by serpentologists, is rather phlegmatic - they will not rush at a person because of instincts or sudden aggression. But, of course, there is always a risk.

The most common snakes that live in the North Caucasus are in our selection.

Vipers

The viper family is the most numerous in the snake estate of the North Caucasus. These snakes are poisonous, and even newborn individuals have poison. The viper looks unremarkable: gray or brown color, pattern on the head, body length - up to 75 centimeters. Among vipers, serpentologists distinguish several main species.

The viper is real. The poison of this snake is considered the most toxic. When bitten by a viper, a person immediately feels a sharp pain, which intensifies when swelling appears at the site of the bite. After a couple of hours, inflammation of the vessels begins, after a couple of days, hemorrhagic blisters appear. If you do not turn to the doctors, you can die from the bite of a real viper.

You can find a poisonous snake in rotten stumps, animal burrows and even bushes. Any sudden movement, scientists say, can be regarded by the snake as a provocation. Therefore, when meeting with a viper, in no case should you panic and do not make sudden movements.

Common viper. It can be recognized by its flat head, which differs in size from the thickness of the body. Most individuals have a zigzag pattern along the spine. The bite of a common viper is rarely fatal, however, it is dangerous to humans. Medicine knows cases when those bitten did not feel symptoms at all, but more often snake “victims” experienced nausea, vomiting and dizziness, convulsions and even loss of consciousness.

The common viper loves cool temperatures and mountainous terrain, so the chance of finding it in the settlements of the Stavropol Territory is small.

Steppe viper. The snake is brown in color with a dark pattern on the head. This type of viper is known for its slowness - on land they do not move as fast as their brothers in the family. But in water bodies, steppe vipers show themselves as excellent swimmers, and can also climb branches of shrubs and trees. The steppe viper is especially common in Kalmykia.

Viper Dinnik. The species of vipers, named after the Russian zoologist, is traditionally colored more elegantly than its relatives in the family: a lemon-black pattern cuts through the gray-green back. But the bite of this viper differs little from that practiced by relatives - the danger is the same. A person will urgently need a doctor, but a pet after such an attack is unlikely to be saved.
Dinnik's viper is common in the Stavropol and neighboring Krasnodar Territories. An attractive landscape for the asp is subalpine meadows or forests. This viper does not like heat, so the risk of meeting it in the open sun is minimized.