 |
| Red-eared Slider - Trachemys scripta elegans - Photo: Wikipedia |
Showing posts with label Sliders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sliders. Show all posts
2018-01-26
Freshwater TURTLES
  |
| Photo by delta407 |
, because of my long, striped, neck. I am a freshwater turtle and belong to a reputed family Emydidae. I inhabit the calm and quiet weedy freshwater ponds, swamps or marshes.
Look at the fine grooves and yellow network on the surface of my brown carapace (4 to 10 inches long). Whenever I get bored, I come out and enjoy moving on the land. I relish both non-vegetarian and vegetarian foods. Remember, never ever try to irritate me, else I will bite!
Let me introduce other family members:
Mr. Clemmys marmorata, (Pacific/Western Pond turtle)Miss Emys orbicularis (European pond turtle/Swamp turtle)Mr. Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding's turtle).Mrs. Graptemys geographica (Common Map turtle)Baby Graptemys pseudogeographica (False Map turtle)Master Clemmys guttata (Spotted turtle)Miss Pseudemys concinna (River Cooter)Ma'm Trachemys scripta elegans (Red-eared Slider) look at the significant red stripe behind the eyes.Mr.Chrysemys picta picta (Eastern Painted Turtle)Mrs. Pseudemys rubriventris (Eastern Red-bellied Turtle)Mr. Calemys insculpta (Wood Turtle)
They are basically carnivorous but sometimes nibble on plants and seeds for a change of palate. They all inhabit shallow lakes, weedy marshes, ponds etc.
Let's go over there; Kinosternidae family is having a great picnic on tadpoles, snails, worms, and crayfish-
There are -Mr. Kinosternon subrubrum (Mud turtle and Eastern Mud Turtle) and Mrs. Kinosternon flavescents (Yellow Mud turtle) with yellow throat, smooth brown carapace and a big double hinged dull colored plastron.
Meet young and energetic Musk turtle, Common Musk Turtle and Loggerhead Musk Turtle. Though close kins, they are different species under the genus Sternotherus. They have a short tail, grey, brown or dull colored oval-shaped shell, a single hinged plastron and white stripes on the two sides of the head.
But don't dare to disturb them, else they may emit a strong foul smell from the glands which can knock you out (...just between you and me, we call them "stinkpot" because of the odor...yuck)! They don't grow beyond 6 inches and have characteristic fleshy barbels on the chin.
There, basking on the sandbars, are the ace swimmers - Miss Apalone ferox and Apalone spinifera (Spiny- and Florida soft-shell turtles) of the Family Trionychidae. They are big (5-24 inches), carnivoresand have leathery shells.
Wow! There is Mr.Chelydra serpentina (Snapping Turtle) of Chelydridae family; largest of our kind (8-20 inches) with strong snapping jaws. How majestic!
Aren't we fascinating? Then why do you gobble us? Why eh...?
By Paul Bryan
For more information about pet turtles visit: Freshwater Turtles.
Article Source: EzineArticles
|
2017-06-11
Common TURTLE Species
Turtles are cold-blooded reptiles. They have a shell making them unique from other reptiles. Their upper shell is called the carapace, and a lower shell that protects the belly called the plastron. The carapace and plastron shape and color varies from species to species. One might think it would at least always be a hard shell, which also is untrue. There are softshell turtle species, along with many others.
  |
| Diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin, hand-colored lithograph (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Some turtle species include Clemmys insculpta which is the wood turtle; Geochelone sulcata which is the African Spurred tortoise; Chelonia mydas which is the green turtle; Emydoidea blandingii which is the Blanding’s turtle; Clemmys guttata which is the spotted turtle; Malaclemys terrapin which is the diamondback terrapin; and Trachemys s. elegans which is the red-eared slider.
The species name for the wood turtle is Clemmys insculpta. This turtle is the largest in its genus. The carapace has raised projections on the back that resemble a small pyramid, making it different from others in the Clemmys genus.
The wood turtle is omnivorous and eats things like algae, moss, blueberries, mollusks, insects, earthworms, and mice. Typically adult males are larger than adult females, but not by a whole lot.
The species name for the African Spurred tortoise is Geochelone sulcata. The African Spurred Tortoise is the only tortoise in the world that has adapted fully for terrestrial life. The turtle is famous for digging burrows to protect itself from predators and the temperature. This turtle can go weeks without food or water. When the turtle does get a chance to drink water though, it can drink up to 15% of its body weight.
The species name for the green turtle is Chelonia mydas. Adult green turtles have a different diet than juvenile green turtles. Adults are herbivores eating plants and juveniles are carnivores eating meat. Adults usually spend their time in patches of sea grass and algae to get their food, while juveniles spend their time among the coral reef. Adults preferred food is young leaves and roots of sea vegetation. Juveniles eat animals such as jellyfish, sponges, snails, bivalves, and others.
This turtle is a medium to large sea turtle that has a broad, low, heart-shaped carapace.
Most of their lives are spent in the water but females return to the land to lay their eggs. The eggs take about two months to incubate, and then hatch. As most turtles are, green turtles possess environmental sex determination. Temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchling. Warmer temperatures produce females, and cooler temperatures produce males.
Green turtles are found throughout the oceans of the world. Populations are endangered or threatened everywhere.
The Blanding’s turtle is a northern turtle that has a black carapace with tan to yellow spots on the scutes. Its species name is Emydoidea blandingii. Sometimes this turtle is confused with the box turtle because of similar appearances.
This turtle lives in clean, shallow water habitats. They like abundant aquatic vegetation, and firm aquatic bottoms in ponds, lakes, marshes, and creeks. However, preferences in habitat can change seasonally and by location. In Wisconsin, the Blanding’s turtle prefers marshes over ponds, which is just a location preference. Turtles elsewhere may choose a pond over a marsh.
This turtle nests once a year usually from late-May to early July during the night. However, not every female nests every year.
The common name for Clemmys guttata is the spotted turtle. This is a small, black turtle that has a pattern on its smooth carapace with small yellow spots. Over time the spots may fade, making older turtles appear spotless.
Male spotted turtles tend to have tan chins with brown eyes differing from the females who tend to have yellow chins and orange eyes.
These turtles live in areas that are shallow wetlands. This can consist of swamps, bogs, fens, and marshes, but not confined to just these areas.
Spotted turtles are active during they day for the most part, meaning they are diurnal. However, females are active at night while they are nesting. Spotted turtles are preyed upon by bald eagles, skunks, and raccoons.
The species name for the Diamondback Terrapin is Malaclemys terrapin. This turtle is a small to medium size turtle which feeds on sponges, bryozoans, gastropods, crabs, carrion, and plant material.
They have a hingeless plastron which can be yellow to green or black, and an oblong carapace is gray, light brown or black. They can be found in estuaries and salt marshes.
Nesting for these turtles is different from a majority of turtles because it is during the day. Most turtles tend to nest during the night. High tide is the most usual time for this particular turtle to nest.
The red-eared slider is native to the United States. It is commonly found in the Southern regions. The species name for it is Trachemys s. elegans.
When the red-eared slider is young it is carnivorous, but as it ages they become more vegetarian. They are a medium size and have a dark green oval shell. Their legs are green with think yellow stripes. The head is also green, but it has a red stripe behind the eye.
These turtles are found in most permanent slow-moving bodies of water. They prefer areas with mud bottoms.
Author: Danielle Rose
2017-03-06
A RED EARED SLIDER Will Make An Excellent Pet
There are various freshwater turtle species in the world, but probably none are as well renowned as the red eared sliders. Sliders make an adorable pet, seeking plenty of attention. There are some serious cleanliness measures that should be taken into consideration while nurturing a red eared slider. These measures are as follows:
  |
| A closer look at the head of red-eared slider. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
How to distinguish a male and a female red eared slider?
The differences between the male and female red eared slider are fairly distinct, however, they do not become too obvious until the slider reaches sexual maturity. Male red eared sliders reaches sexual maturity in 2 to 5 years, conversely, female red eared sliders reach their sexual maturity in 5 to 7 years. Male sliders can be distinguished from their claws on front feet, which are not present in the females. Furthermore, another trait differentiating male and female slider is their tail. The tail of male slider is longer and thicker. The cloaca in males is located farther from their body with males having somewhat concave plastron.
Tank water and your red eared slider
Red eared sliders spend plenty of time in water, therefore, it is highly recommended that the water they live in is clean. Keeping water clean may sound an ordinary task, however, the reality is slightly different. It is obvious that sliders also defecate in their water. Due to defecation, the tank becomes smelly and cloudy making the cleanliness measures challenging.
In a nut shell, water quality maintenance measures include removing wastes along with instituting colonies of healthy bacteria that will collapse waste products. Ways in which you can do this are as follows:
Measure the quality of water
It is essential to check the levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the water. Excess of any of these can be irritating and harmful for the turtles. You must purchase test kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates from the pet stores. The directions to use them are printed at the back of the kit. High levels of the three requires a complete water change, however, moderate level requires frequent partial water change.
Chlorinated or Dechlorinated Water?
This is subject to conflicting opinions. However, it is suggested to dechlorinate water by using water conditioners. Chlorine can be irritating to your pet, especially to their eyes. If you live in a city where chloramines are used to treat the drinking water, then you must buy a water conditioner that is labeled to remove chlorine, chloramines and ammonia (a by-product of the deactivation of chloramines).
What option of filtration you prefer?
The ideal filter for red eared sliders is the one rated for 2-3 times the size of the sliders tank. There are many filtration levels available in the market such as, biological filtration, chemical filtration and mechanical filtration.
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)