The turtle is an ancient reptile. Determining the type of domestic turtle How many fingers do turtles have

Turtles (lat. Testudines) are representatives of one of the four orders of modern reptiles belonging to the Chordata type. The age of fossil remains of turtles is 200-220 million years. is 200-220 million years.

Turtle Description

According to most scientists, during the last 150 million years appearance and the structure of the turtles remained practically unchanged.

Appearance

chief hallmark turtle is the presence of a shell, represented by a very complex bone-skin formation, covering the body of the reptile from all sides and protecting the animal from the attack of numerous predators. The inner part of the shell is characterized by the presence of bone plates, and the outer part is characterized by leathery shields. Such a shell has a dorsal and abdominal parts. The first part, called the carapace, is distinguished by a convex shape, and the plastron, or abdominal part, is always flat.

This is interesting! The turtle body has a strong fusion with the shell part, from which the head, tail and limbs peep out between the plastron and the carapace. When any danger appears, turtles are able to completely hide inside the shell.

The turtle has no teeth, but has a beak pointed at the edges and strong enough to allow the animal to easily bite off pieces of food. Turtles, along with some snakes and crocodiles, lay leathery-type eggs, but reptiles most often do not care for their offspring, so they leave the laying site almost immediately.

Turtles different types vary greatly in size and weight. For example, the length of a land spider turtle does not exceed 100 mm with a weight in the range of 90-100 g, and the size of an adult leatherback turtle reaches 250 cm with a weight of more than half a ton. Among the currently known land tortoises, the Galapagos elephant tortoises belong to the giant category, the shell length of which exceeds a meter, and the mass can be four centners.

The color of turtles is usually very modest, allowing the reptile to easily disguise itself as objects. environment. However, there are also several types that are distinguished by a very bright and contrasting pattern. For example, the radiant tortoise in the central part of the shell shields has a characteristic dark background with bright yellow spots located on it and numerous outgoing rays. Head and neck area red-eared turtle adorns the pattern, represented by wavy lines and stripes, and spots of bright red color are located behind the eyes.

Character and lifestyle

Even despite the insufficient level of brain development, as a result of testing, it was possible to determine that the intelligence of the turtle shows fairly high results. It should be noted that not only terrestrial, but also many freshwater animals took part in such experiments. water sports turtles, including European marsh and Caspian.

Turtles are reptiles leading a solitary lifestyle, but such animals need the company of their own kind with the onset mating season. Sometimes turtles gather for the wintering period in not too numerous groups. Some freshwater species, including toad turtles (Phrynops geoffroanus), are characterized by an aggressive reaction to the presence of their relatives, even outside the mating season.

How long do turtles live

Almost all existing species of turtles deservedly belong to the category of long-lived record holders among numerous vertebrates.

This is interesting! The well-known Radiant Madagascar tortoise named Tui Malila managed to live for almost two hundred years.

The age of such a reptile often exceeds a century. According to scientists, the turtle is able to live even two hundred or more years.

turtle shell

The carapace of the turtle is distinguished by a convex shape, represented by a bone base and a horn covering. The bone base of the carapace consists of eight pre-sacral vertebrae, as well as dorsal costal sections. Typical turtles have fifty plates of mixed origin.

The shape and number of such shields are a very important feature that allows you to determine the species of the turtle:

• land species usually have a high, convex and very thick upper armor shield, which is associated with general indicators of intestinal volume. The dome-shaped form provides a significant internal space, facilitating the digestion of vegetable roughage;
• burrowing land species have a more flattened elongated carapace, which helps the reptile to easily move inside the hole;
• for various freshwater and sea turtles, the presence of a flattened, smooth and streamlined carapace, which has an oval, ovoid or teardrop shape, is most often characteristic, but the bone base may well be reduced;
• soft-bodied species of turtles are distinguished by a very flat carapace, the bone base of which is always quite strongly reduced in the absence of horny scutes and the presence of a leathery coating on the shell;
• the carapace in leatherback turtles does not have any fusion with the axial part of the skeleton, therefore it is formed by a mosaic of small bones combined with each other, which are covered by the skin;
• some turtles are characterized by a carapace in the presence of a well-formed semi-flexible synarthrosis-type junction with cartilage tissues on plate joints.

The border of the armored horny scutes can be imprinted on the surface of the bone carapace, and the horny shell, or horn-type scutes, have names similar to the located bone plates.

Turtle species

Currently, more than three hundred species of turtles belonging to fourteen families are known. Some of these peculiar reptiles lead an exclusively land lifestyle, while the other part is characterized by excellent adaptation to the aquatic environment.

The following species live on the territory of our country:

• big-headed turtles, or caretta, or (lat. Caretta caretta) - reaching a length of 75-95 cm with an average weight in the range of 80-200 kg. The species has a heart-shaped carapace, brownish, red-brown or olive in color. The plastron and bony bridge may be cream or yellowish color. There are ten costal shields in the back region, and large shields also cover the massive head. The front flippers are equipped with a pair of claws;
• leatherback turtles, or loot(lat. Dermochelys coriacea) is the only one modern species belonging to the family Leatherback turtles (Dermoshelyidae). Representatives are the largest modern turtles, having a body length of 260 cm with a front flipper span of 250 cm and a body weight of up to 890-915 kg;
• Far Eastern turtles, or Chinese Trionics(lat. Relodiscus sinensis) - freshwater turtles, which are a member of the Three-clawed soft-bodied turtles family. In Asian countries, meat is widely eaten, so the reptile is an object for industrial breeding. The length of the carapace of an adult, as a rule, does not exceed a quarter of a meter, and average weight is 4.0-4.5 kg;
• European marsh turtles(lat. Emys orbicularis) - freshwater turtles with an oval, low and slightly convex, smooth carapace, which has a movable connection with the plastron through a narrow and elastic ligament. The length of an adult individual of this species is 12-35 cm with a body weight of one and a half kilograms;
• Caspian turtles(lat. Mauremys caspisa) - reptiles belonging to the genus Aquatic turtles and the family of Asian freshwater turtles. The species is represented by three subspecies. An adult is characterized by a length of 28-30 cm and an oval-shaped carapace. Juveniles of this species are distinguished by a keeled carapace. Adult males have an elongated carapace with a somewhat concave plastron;
• mediterranean, or Greek, or Caucasian tortoise(lat. Testudo grace) - a species that has a high and oval, slightly serrated carapace with a length of 33-35 cm, light olive or yellowish-brown in color with black spots. The front paws have four or five claws. The back side of the thighs is provided with a horny tubercle. Often a turtle of this species has an unpaired tail shield, the plastron of which is distinguished by a light color and dark spots.

On the territory of Kazakhstan and countries Central Asia the Central Asian or steppe tortoise (Agrionemys horsfieldii) is often found. The species is characterized by a low, rounded, yellowish-brown shell with vague-type dark-colored spots. The carapace is divided into thirteen horny scutes, and the plastron is divided into sixteen scutes. The grooves present on the shields make it easy to determine the number of years lived by the turtle. The average length of the turtle does not exceed 15-20 cm, and females of this species, as a rule, are noticeably larger than males.

Range, habitats

The range and habitats of different species of turtles are very diverse:

• elephant turtle (Chelonoidis elerhantorus) - Galapagos Islands;
• Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) - the northern part of Africa and the countries of the Middle East;
• (Testudo (Agrionemys) horsfieldii) - Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Lebanon and Syria, northeastern part Iran, northwest India and Pakistan;
• or ( Geochelone pardalis) - countries of Africa;
• Cape tortoise (Homorus Signatus) – South Africa and South part Namibia;
• painted or decorated turtle (Chrysemys rista) – Canada and USA;
• (Emys orbicularis) - the countries of Europe and Asia, the territory of the Caucasus;
• or ( Trachemys scripta) – USA and Canada, northwestern part South America, including northern Colombia and Venezuela;
• (Сhelydra serpentina) - the United States and the southeastern part of Canada.

The inhabitants of the seas and oceans are real carriage (Heretmoshelys imbricata), (Dermochelys coriacea), Green soup turtle (Сhelonia mydas). Freshwater reptiles live in rivers, lakes and swamps of the temperate Eurasian belt, and also inhabit water bodies in Africa, South America, Europe and Asia.

Turtle Diet

The food preferences of turtles directly depend on the species characteristics and habitat of such a reptile. The basis of nutrition of land turtles is represented by plant foods, including young branches. different trees, vegetables and fruits, grass and mushrooms, and to replenish the amount of protein, such animals eat snails, slugs or worms. The need for water is often satisfied in the process of eating the succulent parts of plants.

Freshwater and sea turtles can be classified as typical predators that feed on small fish, frogs, snails and crustaceans, bird eggs, insects, various mollusks and arthropods. Plant foods are eaten in small quantities. Herbivorous individuals are also characterized by eating animal food. There are also species of freshwater turtles that, as they grow older, switch to eating plant foods. Omnivorous sea turtles are also well studied.

Reproduction and offspring

With the onset of the mating season, adult male turtles arrange traditional tournament fights and fights among themselves for the right to mate with the female. Land tortoises at such a time pursue their rival and try to turn him over by biting or hitting the front of the shell. Aquatic species in battles prefer biting and chasing an opponent. Subsequent courtship allows the female to assume the most comfortable mating position.

Males belonging to some species, in the process of mating, are able to make rather primitive sounds. All known species modern turtles are oviparous animals, so the females lay their eggs inside a pitcher-shaped hole dug with their hind legs and moistened with a liquid secreted by the cloaca.

A hole with white spherical or elliptical eggs is filled up, and the soil is compacted with the help of plastron blows. Sea turtles and some side-necked turtles lay eggs covered with a soft and leathery shell. The number of eggs varies among representatives of different species and can range from 1 to 200 pieces.

This is interesting! Giant tortoises (Megaloshelys gigantea) have behavioral mechanisms that regulate population size by the number of eggs laid annually.

Many turtles have several clutches during one season, and incubation period, as a rule, lasts from two months to six months. An exception that takes care of its offspring is the brown turtle (Manouria emys), whose females guard the nest with oviposition until the cubs are born. Also interesting is the behavior of the Bahamian decorated tortoise (Pseudemys malonei), which digs up the egg-laying and facilitates the exit of the cubs.

Many animals live in glass containers: turtles, fish, lizards and crustaceans. Home terrariums usually contain a terrestrial species of turtles from which freshwater and land animals emerge.

Reptiles with swimming limbs with membranes. Most aquatic turtle species inhabit water bodies with little water movement. Mobile carnivorous reptiles, but there are also herbivorous species.

red-eared

The turtle is brown-green. Also called. It lives in shallow ponds in Mexico, South and Central America and Africa. The name was given because of the red spots in the area of ​​​​the ears, there are species with bright yellow spots. Rich green stripes are located on the head and paws. Juveniles are less intensely colored than mature ones. The carapace (upper part of the shell) of females is up to 30 cm, in males - up to 15 cm, there are claws. The diet of young individuals is dominated by animal food. Sedentary and non-conflict pets.

Trionix Chinese or Far East

Turtles up to 20 cm in size with a soft leather shell. The nose is oblong in the form of a trunk. These three-toed inhabitants of Asian reservoirs are very mobile and aggressive. They can injure a person with sharp plates located on their jaws. To keep these predators and at home, they acquire a newborn individual. was included in the Red Book and banned for sale. Caught by smugglers and delivered to stores.

Caspian

Omnivorous turtles with a flat oval shell up to 30 cm in length. The color consists of alternating yellow and green stripes. Individuals like salty or fresh water with a temperature of 18-22 degrees and a large number of vegetation near the pond. They are found in Southern Europe and Central Asia. In nature, climb high into the mountains. Live for 30 years. In this species of freshwater turtle, sexual differences are clearly visible: the tail of males is more powerful and longer, the carapace is concave.

Silt bighead

Aquarium turtles with a small shell up to 18 cm and a disproportionately large body. Having a harmless appearance, reptiles are able to injure with false teeth. They come from North and South America. They live in shallow streams and swamps with abundant vegetation. For keeping at home, a capacity of 60-100 liters is suitable. They eat animal food and dry food.

European marsh

Dark green turtles up to 35 cm. The body is covered with light spots. Large and long tail, webbed paws and sharp claws. Reptiles live near lakes and ponds. listed in the Red Book. Contained at an air temperature of about 30 degrees.

Types of small

According to the scientific classification, freshwater species are considered small turtles, the average size of which does not exceed 13 cm. A terrarium with a capacity of 100 liters is suitable for pets.

Three-keel

Small reptiles up to 13 cm. Color from reddish-brown to black, carapace with three keels. Unpretentious in care, an aquarium up to 100 liters is suitable. They inhabit the countries of South Asia, in the forests they lead a completely land-based lifestyle. Omnivorous, eating fruits and vegetables, not averse to eating fish. In some countries banned for home keeping.

Musk

Turtles are so named because of the musk glands under their shells. The length of the oval carapace is 7–13 cm. There are light blotches on the dark head and carapace. Young turtles are distinguished by three longitudinal ridges on the carapace, which disappear over the years. They feed on mollusks, insects, and small fish. Range: Canada to South America. In the natural environment, they are orderlies of the reservoir. Turtles swim well, the terrarium should have an island and a pond.

spotted

Amphibious pets up to 12 cm in length. Carapace black, without projections. Light yellow spots are evenly distributed on the shell, head and limbs. And also there are color variations with orange and reddish patches. They live at room temperature. For convenience, place shelters in a glass container, and aquatic plants in a pond. The turtle is diurnal. Type of food - insectivorous. Juveniles eat exclusively animal food. Plants are rarely eaten. In nature, they live in swampy and wet areas.

Pond Reeves

Turtle with a shell length of 13 cm. The carapace is painted in brown tones. There is an olive, gray-green and black body color, there are yellow stripes. Females are lighter than males, the tail is shorter. Temperature not lower than 22 degrees is allowed. Turtles are known to survive freezing temperatures.

Closing

Domestic turtles are endowed with a feature: in case of danger, the gap between the plastron and the carapace closes. The genus of closing consists of the following species:

1. reddish mud turtle;
2. silty red-cheeked;
3. silt yellowmouth;
4. musky ordinary;
5. musk keel.

flat

The carapace of these 9 cm turtles is slightly extended forward, has a slight bulge. Color from olive to brown depending on the breed. On the forelimbs there are scales and 4 or 5 fingers. The muzzle is oblong. Females are larger than males. Carnivorous species, eats fish, mice and shrimp.

Types of land

Central Asian

Popular home view pets. At home, they grow up to 10-18 cm. Turtles have a light shell with dark shields, four-fingered limbs. Swimming is possible once a week. They do not like to be disturbed, they prefer peace and regularity. Provide the animals with 30 degree air and sandy soil in which they can dig.

Star or Indian

Beautiful pets with an unusual shell shape. The scutes are convex, slightly pointed with a catchy pattern in the form of stars. Dark shell, pattern yellow color. Turtles are medium in size, females reach 25 cm, males - 15 cm. The varieties that live in Sri Lanka and South India have 5-7 rays in color. Individuals from the north of India have 7–9 thin "star" rays. They eat plant foods.

mediterranean

The color and preferences in the content are different for subspecies. The color is monophonic or dark with yellow patches. On the front paws of domestic turtles, 5 fingers each, hind limbs with spurs. On the back of the thigh there is a tubercle of horny tissue. Sizes up to 35 cm.

Egyptian

The size of the shell reaches 12 cm, females are smaller than males. Sand color with black spots. The content is whimsical, susceptible to disease. Herbivorous, in nature they feed on plants of the genus Artemisia. Calcium and D3 are added to the diet. The opportunity to determine the sex of this species is provided at 15 years. They are kept in groups of their own species in a spacious tank.

Balkan

Carapace size up to 20 cm. outward signs resembles a Mediterranean tortoise. The shell is light brown with a dark pattern. Over the years, the color fades to a yellowish-gray. The tail has a horny tip. They feed on peas, beans, clover and fruits. Supplement the diet with slugs and snails. Mobile pets are especially active in the warm season.

Conclusion

Some species of domestic turtles are small and relatively unpretentious. Even for such animals, you will need a spacious and long aquaterrarium, UV lamp and a water filter. Approach the content of the domestic turtle responsibly, and then it will delight you with the opportunity to observe it for a long time.

Turtles, belonging to the subclass Anapsida, constitute the most deviated branch of reptiles. They have developed a kind of passive defense organ - a bone shell in which the torso is enclosed. The upper shield of this shell, called the carapace, is formed by bone plates of skin origin, with which the expanded spinous processes of the vertebrae and ribs usually merge. The plates of the carapace are always arranged in a certain order: in the middle lies a longitudinal spinal row, from its sides there is a paired lateral row, and the entire carapace is surrounded by numerous marginal plates . The lower shield, or plastron, consists of four paired bone plates and one unpaired one, wedged between the anterior pair. The unpaired plate is homologous to the episternum, the anterior pair to the clavicles, and the rest, apparently, to the ventral ribs. Both the carapace and the plastron are covered on top with horny scutes (in one group - with soft skin), the boundaries of which usually do not correspond to the boundaries of the bone plates, which helps to strengthen the shell. The shoulder girdle is formed by only two bones - the scapula and the coracoid. The scapula with its dorsal end is connected by a ligament to the inner surface of the carapace and is equipped with a large abdominal process, which, like the coracoid, ends freely. The pelvis, like that of crocodiles, is perforated by a large obturator foramen. The limbs have a typical structure. In contrast to the immobile trunk region, the caudal and cervical regions are very mobile, and the cervical vertebrae differ in the different structure of their articular surfaces: the anterior ones are opisthocoelous, the posterior ones are procoelous, and between them lies a vertebra, both surfaces of which are convex.

There are a number of transitions from forms with an underdeveloped secondary palate to forms in which it is well developed. There is no parietal opening. The jaws are devoid of teeth and covered with horny sheaths. Meaty tongue. The esophagus gradually passes into a thick-walled stomach, which is sharply separated from the intestine itself. The opening of the cloaca is round or in the form of a longitudinal slit. Large lungs have, like those of crocodiles, a complex spongy structure. Due to the immobility of the chest, the act of breathing is performed in turtles by forcing air with the bottom of the oral cavity (convergent similarity with amphibians), but, in addition, the shoulder and pelvic muscles take part in this act: when the limbs are drawn in, the lungs are emptied, when they are pulled out, they expand and are filled with air. Aquatic groups also have additional respiratory organs in the form of pharyngeal ridges or two anal bladders. In the genital organs, the unpaired copulatory organ of the male, which has a structure similar to the copulatory organ of crocodiles, deserves special attention.

All tortoises have exceptional survivability, both in terms of enduring injury and in terms of starvation. For example, cases are known when these animals lived for years without any food. Most turtles hibernate during the favorable season. They reproduce by laying eggs, which usually have a hard calcareous shell, less often a parchment-like shell.

According to the way of life, turtles are divided into 2 ecological groups, only partly corresponding to the systematic ones: firstly, land, slow, predominantly herbivorous, and, secondly, into aquatic, mobile, predominantly predators. Modern turtles, of which there are about 330 species, are combined into 4 suborders: 1) sea turtles, 2) soft-skinned turtles and 3) crypto-necked turtles, 4) side-necked turtles.

Suborder sea turtles. They inhabit tropical seas. The front paws are very large, flipper-like. The body is flattened so that the head and limbs cannot be retracted under the carapace. The bony base of the carapace is greatly reduced, and only a ring remains of the plastron, and numerous lateral holes are formed in the carapace. Excellent swimmers, capable of diving to a depth of 150-200 m, while the front legs serve as the main organs of movement, the hind legs act as a rudder. Sea turtles feed on fish, molluscs, and crustaceans. For breeding, they go to the sandy shores of sparsely populated islands, where they lay several hundred eggs. Some types like bissa, have long been mined for the horny plates of the shell, and soup turtle, reaching a weight of 450 kg, is eaten.

Suborder soft-skinned turtles. They live in the freshwater basins of Africa, North America and Southeast Asia. One kind - Chinese turtle found in Ussuri region. Representatives of the suborder differ from other turtles in that their bone shell is covered not with horny shields, but with soft skin. The muzzle is elongated into a long movable proboscis. The bone shell of these turtles, like that of sea turtles, is greatly reduced, but not a ring remains from the plastron, but a bridge expanded in the center. The organs of movement in the water are not so much the front, but the hind legs, equipped with membranes. Turtles dive well, move quickly along the bottom and are able to stay under water for several hours. This is facilitated by additional respiratory organs in the form of special glands in the pharynx, rich in capillary blood vessels. They feed on mollusks, crustaceans and fish. Several dozen eggs are laid in the sand on the shore of a reservoir. Everywhere mined for meat.

Suborder Turtles. They are characterized by the fact that when the head is pulled under the shell, the neck bends in an S-shape in a vertical plane. These are the most numerous, widespread, diverse in structure and biology of turtles; absent only in Australia. Among the crypto-necked turtles, both land and aquatic forms are found.

Land turtles, which include our Central Asian And caucasian, elephant turtle Galapagos Islands and many other species, herbivores. They have a particularly strong shell, which allows them to feed all day without the threat of being attacked by predators. Adult land turtles have almost no enemies, which determines their longevity. Relatively small Central Asian tortoises live up to 20-25 years in nature; Caucasian - 35-40 years, and very large elephants, reaching a weight of 200 kg - up to 100 years or more. Turtles that live in deserts, like our Central Asian turtle, when vegetation burns out, fall into summer hibernation, which can go directly into winter. In spring, turtles lay eggs in the sand among a few dozen, usually two or three clutches. After 2-2.5 months of development, turtles with a soft shell hatch from the eggs. Being defenseless, they do not appear on the surface of the earth for a long time; in our species, young turtles usually come to the surface only next spring.

Water turtles, which include marsh turtle, living in the steppe zone of the European part of Russia, the Crimea, the Caucasus, and Caspian tortoise stay along the banks of water bodies. They swim and dive well, finding refuge in the water at the slightest danger. Turtles feed on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, amphibians and fish. The Caspian tortoise, in addition, eats succulent aquatic plants. On the banks of water bodies, they lay 2-3 dozen eggs in the soil. For the winter, they hide at the bottom of reservoirs, where they hibernate.

Suborder side-necked turtles. They are characterized by the fact that, drawing in the neck, they bend it in a horizontal plane, and the head is placed on the side between the plastron and the carapace. They are distributed only in the southern hemisphere: Australia, South Africa and South America. Both externally and biologically similar to aquatic and semi-aquatic crypto-necked turtles. The most famous of them arrau, forming large accumulations in the shallows of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. Millions of eggs from these turtles are collected by the locals.

Turtles are unique animals in their anatomy and physiology. Due to their specific recognizable appearance, they are easily recognized even by a person who is not knowledgeable in biology. Turtles make up separate detachment in the Reptile class, which includes 230 species.

Red-eared turtle (Trachemys scripta, or Pseudemys scripta).

The first thing that catches your eye when looking at a turtle is the shell. It is a special bone formation that is not found in any other vertebrates. Actually, this bony cover owes the reptiles their name (tortoise from the word skull). The shell consists of two parts: the upper - the carapace, and the lower - the plastron. Each of these parts is formed by separate bone plates, tightly fused together. The carapace fuses with the ribs and processes of the vertebrae, while the plastron fuses with the clavicles and the ventral side of the ribs. Between themselves, the carapace and plastron are connected by a bone jumper or strong tendons. Thus, the upper and lower parts of the shell form a single whole, firmly connected to the body of the turtle. The turtle cannot move inside the shell and is generally extremely limited in freedom of movement, in fact, it can only move the neck and limbs protruding from the shell. Despite this imperfection and static design, the turtles are not at all as uniform as one might think. The appearance of these animals can be very different.

Most turtles are medium-sized animals, but among them there are crumbs with a body length of only 10 cm (spider and speckled turtles), and giants weighing 100 kg each (sea and Galapagos turtles). But the largest in the world is the leatherback turtle, which can reach 2 m in length and weigh up to 600 kg!

A leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) crawled ashore to lay its eggs. The appearance of such a giant is a rarity, and many observers gathered around the turtle.

The shell of turtles can have a different shape: in land species it is usually convex and rounded, in freshwater species it is flat and oval. In sea turtles, the shell is rounded in front and pointed at the back, this shape makes it streamlined. From above, the shell of turtles is covered with horny plates, on which its pattern depends. Leathery and soft-bodied turtles stand apart, in which the bone base of the shell is covered not with a horn, but with skin, which makes it seem soft.

The leopard or panther tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis, or Geochelone pardalis) has a convex shell.

More often, the color is camouflage: in terrestrial species, it is sandy or gray with soft stains imitating stones, in freshwater species it is monophonic, black, greenish-brown (the color of mud). But there are turtles with brightly and intricately decorated shells (for example, hieroglyphic, geographical).

Hieroglyphic turtle (Pseudemys concinna).

The surface of the plates can be brilliantly smooth, rough, conically pointed or elongated in the form of teeth.

Young Indian roof turtle (Batagur tecta). This species got its name from the sharp carapace shields that resemble shingles.

Turtles have different ways"self-packing" into the shell: some species (suborder Hidden neck) draw their heads inward, while their neck folds inside the shell like a swan's; other species (suborder Side-necked) simply bend their neck to the side and press their heads to their shoulders, but the big-headed and all types of sea turtles are not at all able to retract their heads. Finally, in kinix turtles, the inlets are additionally closed with a flexible shield, which makes them completely “hermetic”.

The spiny turtle (Heosemys spinosa) has pointed scutes on the sides of the carapace.

These animals do not have teeth and bite off food with the edges of their jaws; in some turtles (vulture and all types of sea turtles), pointed jaws resemble a beak. Turtles do not hear well, but have well-developed color vision, a keen sense of smell and a delicate taste. They are able to find food, focusing only on the smell, if the turtles see food, they prefer red and bright green foods. The brain in these animals is poorly developed, so they are slow-witted and not amenable to training. The limbs of land turtles look like pillars, those of freshwater turtles are flattened and have membranes between the fingers, and those of sea turtles have turned into flippers. Turtles are sexually dimorphic: males differ from females more long tail, special spurs on hind legs and larger sizes.

Toothless turtles are by no means helpless. Here is such a prickly grater in the mouth of a leatherback turtle, it does not leave a single chance to save the caught fish.

Turtles are found on all continents except Antarctica and the polar regions. These modest and seemingly clumsy animals have mastered all habitats - they can be found in forests, steppes, deserts, swamps, rivers, seas and oceans. Only the highest mountains and fast rivers did not submit to them.

The Chinese trionyx, or Chinese three-clawed turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) has an unusual appearance - its muzzle is elongated into an elongated proboscis.

The way of life of different species is very different. The life of land turtles is surprisingly monotonous - all day long they slowly go around the territory and feed on the go. They spend hot noon and night in some kind of shelter - a random hole, a crevice, under the roots of trees. Kinds temperate zone they spend the whole winter in such shelters, they hibernate and can sleep up to 9 months. For example, hibernation Central Asian tortoise it can start ... in July and it is not caused by a cold snap, but by a lack of food in the hot desert (tortoises wake up in March-April).

Galapagos or elephant tortoises travel on one of the islands of the Galapagos archipelago.

Freshwater turtles are more active, they periodically dive into the reservoir and catch fish in the water column, having eaten, they get ashore and bask on the shore for a long time. By the way, these species are distinguished by mobility and easily climb sloping tree trunks in search of convenient location for relax. In case of danger, freshwater turtles can dive and lie at the bottom of the reservoir, without surfacing, they can spend up to 2 days at the bottom! Freshwater turtles of the temperate zone also hibernate, but for this they burrow into the silt at the bottom of the reservoir. In order to spend so much time under water without surfacing, turtles breathing lungs have a special device - their pharynx and anal bladders (special outgrowths of the intestines) are pierced by many vessels, and blood can absorb oxygen directly from the water.

But sea turtles have lost touch with land. They spend all the time in the seas and oceans far from the coast, they even sleep on the surface of the water. Only the females go ashore to lay their eggs.

On the shore, they are completely helpless, with effort they move their heavy body with a wave of their front flippers, but in the water, sea turtles develop a relatively high speed, moving easily and freely, like birds.

Turtles lead a solitary lifestyle, but they are not at all aggressive towards their brethren. They do not defend the territory, do not compete for food and, on occasion, calmly tolerate the neighborhood of their brethren.

Freshwater turtles dry together in the sun and do not experience inconvenience due to close proximity.

According to the nature of the food, these reptiles are divided into herbivorous and predatory. Terrestrial species feed exclusively on plants, since they cannot catch up with prey on land. Turtles prefer to eat juicy food, on occasion they enjoy melons, watermelons, and berries with pleasure. freshwater species feed mainly on fish, crayfish, worms, snails, insect larvae, sometimes eat aquatic vegetation, crocodile eggs and carrion. Occasionally they manage to catch large prey - a waterfowl or a snake. Sea turtles eat a mixed diet: for example, green turtle prefers algae, occasionally eating crabs and mollusks, while hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles, on the contrary, pay little attention to algae, preferring to eat mollusks, crabs, ascidians, jellyfish and sponges. Sea turtles do not often hunt fish.

Bissa (Eretmochelys imbricata) digs in the ground in search of food. A freeloader was attached to her shell - a fish stuck.

Predatory turtles do not bother with intricate fishing techniques and simply grab any living creature that comes into view. The exception is the fringed turtle, or matamata. The head of this turtle is flat and decorated with outgrowths, which gives it the appearance of a shabby leaf. In this guise, the matamata lies at the bottom and simply waits until a fish or a frog deceived by camouflage swims closer, then the matamata simply opens its mouth and the stream of water sucks the prey directly into its mouth.

Fringed turtle, or matamata (Chelus fimbriatus).

The vulture turtle went even further, which has a pink appendix in its mouth. The vulture turtle also hides at the bottom with its mouth open, while the appendix moves and lures fish. Flattered by the "worm", the fish is caught. By the way, the grip of the vulture turtle is unusually strong: it can bite a person's finger. All types of turtles drink very rarely, being content with the moisture contained in the feed. Due to a very low metabolism, they endure hunger for a phenomenally long time, large individuals can starve for 12-14 months in a row without compromising their health!

The open mouth of a vulture turtle (Macrochelys temminckii).

All types of turtles breed once a year. Males find females with the help of smell and engage in battles with each other. Despite the outward clumsiness and slowness in the mating season, turtles behave "passionately". Males stubbornly butt each other and try to overturn the opponent. In the beak-chested turtle, males even have hooked outgrowths on the front side of the plastron for this, with which they try to pick up an opponent. Do not underestimate such a primitive combat technique, because a turtle turned over on its back cannot roll over and is doomed to a slow and painful death under the scorching sun.

Turtles are one of the most unusual vertebrates. First, they have an external skeleton. Secondly, they break all records for longevity and can live up to 100 (or maybe more) years. Where do turtles live? What else is interesting about these animals?

Description and types

Turtles are reptiles. They belong to the same class as crocodiles, snakes, lizards and tuatara. They appeared 220 million years ago and now have approximately 328 species. All of them are divided into sea and land. The latter, in turn, are divided into freshwater and land turtles.

Their main difference is a powerful keratin shell. It consists of the upper (carapace) and lower (plastron) parts, reliably protecting its owner from enemy attacks. The shell is able to withstand a mass 200 times greater than the turtle itself. This is not a separate formation, from which the animal can always get rid of. On the inside, the shell is completely fused with the spine and ribs.

The way of life and nutrition depends on the area. The inhabitants of the land, as a rule, are herbivorous, aquatic species are predominantly predators. Turtles are common on all continents except Antarctica. They are absent in New Zealand and on the Pacific coast of South America. Turtles do not like too cold or dry places, so they do not live in the polar regions and some deserts.

freshwater

The size of the turtle depends on where the turtle lives. So, animals living in fresh water are usually smaller than their sea and land counterparts. As a rule, they do not exceed 40 cm in length, however soft-bodied turtles can be more than a meter. They live in river estuaries, lakes and marshes, preferring slow flowing waters. Turtles can stay under water for a long time, hibernate and sleep without surfacing. At the same time, they breathe through the skin of the sky or anal sacs, which open into anus. Some species periodically come to land, while others are completely aquatic animals.

Their carapace is usually low, has an oval shape. On the paws there are swimming membranes. Most of them are predators, but with age, the diet of turtles often changes towards plant foods. Freshwater species are quite inconspicuous, but many have bright colors. So, on the head of the red-eared turtle there are small red spots and yellow-black stripes along the neck. At painted turtle there are red and yellow stripes on the body and shell.

Land

Land turtles look different from aquatic ones. Usually they have a high convex carapace with tubercles, vertically set legs with fused toes. There are horny scales on the head and limbs. They are slow and cannot run away from enemies. In case of danger, animals hide in their shell, covering their heads with their paws. For protection, they can hiss and bite.

They live in hot dry areas, are found in tropical forests. Typical areas where turtles live are shrouds, steppes and deserts of Africa, America, Australia and Asia. They are also present in Southern Europe and some islands in Oceania. It is among the land turtles that long-livers are present. For example, elephants or Galapagos are able to live up to 150-170 years, and this is just what scientists have observed.

The sizes of turtles vary from 10-15 cm (Egyptian, spider) to 120-200 cm (Galapagos, Seychelles). They feed on fruits and vegetables, occasionally they can eat animal food. Land species cope well with the lack of water and food, but willingly drink if there is a source of water nearby.

Marine

The inhabitants of the seas and oceans have a flat oval shell, and their limbs are turned into flippers. The legs and head of these turtles do not retract under the shell. As a rule, animals are omnivorous and feed on algae, small fish, mollusks, jellyfish, sponges and crustaceans. There are not many marine species. The most famous marine species are: leatherback, Australian, soup turtle, ridley, hawksbill, carriage. The largest of them, and in general of all turtles, are leathery. They can grow up to 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to a ton.

Internal navigation works great. After birth, they swim away hundreds and thousands of kilometers from their native island, and after a few years they return to it to produce offspring. Animals are guided by magnetic field of our planet, so even storms and strong ocean currents do not knock them off the trail.