The red-bellied short-necked turtle Emydura subglobosa has been nicknamed the painted terrapin because it has a bright-red belly when it's young, then the vivid hue fades to orange or yellow as it ages. Native to tropical Australia and New Guinea, it grows to be about 10 inches long and is popular as a pet. The spiny softshell turtle Apalone spinifera is one of the largest freshwater turtles found in North America — females can grow a carapace of up to 19 inches long.
Found from Canada to Mexico, these turtles can live to be 50 years old and don't reach sexual maturity until eight to 10 years of age. The species gets its name from the small spines that project from the upper front portion of its carapace, making it look even more like its late dinosaur relatives.
The Roti Island snake-necked turtle Chelodina mccordi is one of the stranger looking turtle species, with its namesake elongated neck. Its most distinguishing feature can reach between seven and nine inches long, about the length of its carapace taking up half of its body length. But this species is critically endangered. Its desirability in the pet trade has led to serious declines of wild populations.
The two or three populations left are located in a tiny area of Rote Island, Indonesia, and they are still often illegally captured for trade. Native to Madagascar, the radiated tortoise Astrochelys radiata is distinguished by its high-domed shell featuring yellow lines fanning out from the center of each plate hence the name "radiated". In addition to its geometric aesthetic, the radiated tortoise can live especially long — the oldest on record is Tu'i Malila, who lived to be an estimated years old.
The species is critically endangered due to habitat loss, poaching, and collection for the pet trade. Not only is the leatherback Dermochelys coriacea the largest of all sea turtles, it also dives the deepest and travels the farthest.
Unlike other sea turtles, it has no scales or hard shell; instead, its back is covered with rubbery skin and oily flesh — thought to be unchanged since the dinosaur era.
Leatherbacks are real tough guys, too, apt to chase away sharks and other predators. And yet, like most sea turtle species, this one is threatened by fishing and plastic pollution , currently listed on the IUCN Red List as a vulnerable species. Cantor's giant softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii is called "giant" because it can be more than six feet long.
Its broad head and flattened shell helps to camouflage it with the sand as it waits, motionless, at the bottom of freshwater rivers and streams, for a chance to ambush its prey. It surfaces only twice a day to breathe. The peculiar-looking turtle was only recently rediscovered in Cambodia in It's an endangered species.
The African spurred tortoise Geochelone sulcata has impressive "spurs" along its forelegs. Found along the southern edge of the Sahara desert, it is the third largest tortoise species in the world, and the largest mainland tortoise both the larger Galapagos tortoise and Aldabra giant tortoise are island dwellers. They can grow to two to three feet long over their to year lifespan.
Because they're popular in the pet trade, they are often removed from the wild and are, as a result, listed as a species vulnerable to extinction. The Indian flapshell turtle Lissemys punctata has many folds of skin that cover its limbs when it retreats into its shell and are thought to help protect it from predators.
Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Unknown. Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.
Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem. Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries. History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia.
Spring Creek Gulch Full of great photo opportunities, Spring Creek Gulch is also full of fun, family activities and kids attractions. Try your hand at gold panning, gemstone sluicing, or go on a 3D safari. Maniac the Giant Crocodile Maniac is one of a few giant saltwater crocodiles in the known world. At nearly 16 feet long and roughly 1, pounds, he is one of the largest giant crocodiles in the western hemisphere.
Giant Tortoises Come mingle with these gentle, giant tortoises. Our Aldabra Tortoises know how to take it easy, love attention, and are great with kids! See firsthand what life is like for a typical prairie dog at Reptile Gardens. His memory lives on at our outdoor playground for kids. Snake Shows Get up-close-and-personal with this family-oriented, reptile show and learn about a wide variety of different snakes during our snake handling demonstration.
We maintain an inventory of thousands of pieces of Oceanic tribal art. New Guinea Art Authentic oceanic art from an avid primitive art collector sharing his passion with others. Authentic New Guinea Tribal Artifacts for sale. Venomous Among venomous snakes, the Cottonmouth and Copperhead snakes are falsely believed to be very deadly.
Learn all about poisonous snakes at Reptile Gardens. Non-Venomous Snake Facts: Most snakes are referred to as clinically non-venomous snakes, some of the larger types have bites that can still be devastating.
Learn more about non-venomous snakes at Reptile Gardens! Snake Venom and Bites Not all snake venom acts the same. Check out International Danger Quotient for answers. Need to know about dangerous snake bites? Snake Facts Get your information about snakes here! Learn all about snake facts first hand at Reptile Gardens, where we have daily snake shows.
Learn all about the ancient order of crocodilians at Reptile Gardens! Explore Reptile Gardens and see different types of turtles from across the globe. Lizards Reptile Gardens houses the largest collection of reptiles in the world. Explore the grounds and see snakes, alligators, crocodiles, giant tortoises, and many different types of lizards.
Frogs Looking for frog facts? Burmese Star tortoises have beautiful star-shaped patterns that radiate from the top of their dark brown or black shells, continuing down the high-domed carapace in colorful yellow lines. Their skin and heads have yellow or tan coloration. This is a herbivorous species that prefers larger leaves. Impressed tortoises are a Vulnerable species endemic to high altitude mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, these tortoises are often eaten by local people as well as being threatened by habitat loss.
Impressed tortoises have yellowish brown shells that have indented or impressed scutes. Skin coloration is usually yellowish to dark brown with more yellow on their heads. Their front scutes are elongated while their rear scutes are serrated. In their mountainous habitats, Impressed tortoises seem to prefer areas with forests. They will forage for bamboo shoots and mushrooms as part of a herbivorous diet.
Angonoka tortoises are a Critically Endangered species endemic to a small region in northwestern Madagascar. Less than wild specimens may remain. Angonoka tortoises inhabit dry forest regions where they graze on a herbivorous diet of grasses, herbs, and dead leaves. These incredibly unique tortoises have tall, high-domed shells with rounded protruding scutes on the top and sides. Coloration ranges from tan to yellowish brown and dark brown. Some individuals may have dark brown to black triangular markings.
Forest fires, habitat loss, predation, and collection for the pet trade all pose significant dangers to the dwindling population of the Angonoka tortoise. Closely related to the Red-footed tortoise, Yellow-footed tortoises are found in areas of the Amazon basin where humid rainforest margins meet more open grassland regions.
Yellow-footed tortoises mate throughout the year and will leave their offspring to fend for themselves. Yellow-footed tortoises have dark brown to yellow shells with black edges to the carapace. These tortoises have relatively long bodies compared to their width. On their head and limbs, the skin is black with orange or yellow scales.
These tortoises are omnivorous and will forage mainly for plant matter and vegetation along with carrion and mollusks such as snails and worms. Radiated tortoises are a Critically Endangered species endemic to southern regions of Madagascar. Habitat destruction and poaching have cause the numbers of the Radiated tortoise to drop, although some populations have been reintroduced in islands such as Reunion and Mauritius.
These beautiful tortoises inhabit dry bushland areas and woodlands. Radiated tortoises have high-domed dark brown shells decorated with their eponymous patterns of orange or yellow radiating lines.
They have smoother scutes than other similar species. Leopard tortoises have intricate black and yellow spots across their high-domed shells. These patterns expand as the specimen gets older.
Their skin is typically brown or tan colored. These large tortoises are herbivores and mainly graze on dry grasses and occasional succulents. In extreme hot or cold climates, Leopard tortoises will hide in the burrows of other animals. This species only digs when constructing nests for its eggs. Sulcata tortoises are the largest mainland tortoise species in the world and are found in the southern Sahara desert region in Africa. They will also inhabit dry grasslands and savannas where they can graze on grass.
These gentle giants have high-domed yellow to brown shells with large, thick scutes. Their skin ranges from cream to tan to brown and their legs are covered in bony spurs. Exceptionally large Sulcatas can weigh up to lbs. Sadly, Sulcatas suffer thanks to misinformation in the domestic pet trade. Baby Sulcatas are marketed as a small species, and most owners are totally unprepared for the giants that these reptiles will become.
0コメント