Species signs of turtles. European bog turtle with yellow spots on the body Pyramid of three turtles

If you are lucky enough to meet a turtle with yellow spots on its body near the reservoirs, this is a European bog turtle. She is one of 2 attorneys of the swamp family, and yellow spots on the body of a turtle are her distinctive features.

This exotic for our geographical area a trusted reptile animal, lives, like other modern turtles, in the form that has been preserved approximately unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.

That during such long period, these animals were actually preserved in former form, emphasizes their great adaptability and unimaginable biology.

The European marsh turtle is a reptile from the freshwater family that lives in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Western Asia, as well as in Europe, with the exception of its northern part: Scandinavia, Great Britain, the Benelux countries, northern France and Estonia. It also lives in northern Africa.

Name synonyms: Testudo europaea (Schneider, 1783), Testudo orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758).

Foreign names:

• Latin name: Emys orbicularis;
• English: European Pond Turtle;
• German: Europ?ische Sumpfschildkr?te;
• Czech: ?elva bahenn?;
• French: Cistude d'Europe;
• Spanish: Gal?pago europeo.

External differences of the European marsh turtle

• The shell of this turtle is smoothed, covered with small yellow dots and spots. The back is chestnut with small yellow spots. More huge yellow spots are located on the abdomen. They may also cover the head and legs. But occasionally this pronounced sign is absent;
• The skin is black, has countless yellow spots of various sizes, occasionally merging with each other. Occasionally, the skin becomes completely yellow. The location of these yellow spots has an incorrect character, which is certainly different in every animal, like fingerprints in a person;
• Eyes - the iris in females is pale yellow, while in males it has an orange or approximately reddish tint;
• Size - there are sex differences in size associated with the physiology of reproduction, males are slightly smaller than females and have a concave lower part body (plastron), in the female it is rather flat. Also, females and males are characterized by differences in the size of the tail. Males have a much longer and more bulky tail. Top part shell shells in both sexes are very similar, slightly convex, often richly covered with algae. The common attorney of this species has a carapace length of about 20 cm in females and 17 cm in males.

Eyelids are opaque, elastic. The tail is 1/3 of the length of the shell. The head can be retracted and hidden in the shell.

Lifestyle and behavior

European marsh turtle in wild nature can live over 120 years. These types of turtles a large part of their lives in the immediate vicinity of water bodies, only females that lay eggs come out of them to land. The turtle hunts in the water, it lives mainly in this environment. In the water, it moves smoothly, clumsily and slowly.

Active during the day, lives in stagnant or slowly moving water bodies with a muddy bottom (small, overgrown lakes, forest ponds, swamps, densely overgrown and inaccessible ponds, huge rivers with dense vegetation).

She spends most of her time in the water, but she breathes. atmospheric air. Under water can be up to one hour. The beast is hefty shy and circumspect, therefore it is difficult to meet him. AT quiet places loves to get out of the water and soak up the sun. european tortoise with yellow spots on the body, it hibernates in mud, at the bottom of reservoirs for about 6-7 months (usually from October to March).

Males are hefty hostile towards each other, exclusively during the mating season.

This species easily tolerates drought and is resistant to low temperatures, motor activity loses only at temperatures of 2-3 ° C.

Feeds on insects, snails, tadpoles, occasionally eats amphibians and fish. The main food for turtles is insect larvae, invertebrates and various amphibians, fish fry, occasionally they feed on carrion.

These animals feed around the clock, however, they are extremely energetic at dusk and sometimes at night. They capture their prey with their jaws and tear with their claws. During the day, on clear days, they rest and bask in the sun.

How do representatives of this species reproduce?

Turtles wake up hibernation in early spring and become vigorous in late March or early April, depending on the weather. The mating period takes place in the water and begins in April, because the animals are hefty resistant to low temperatures.

Shortly after awakening, individuals walk in the shallow parts of lakes and reservoirs. Mating is very colorful and energetic. There have been cases of mutilation during mating games.

After the mating season is over, the males remain at their former sites, while the females set off on a hike in late May and early June to the nesting sites where they will be for many years. Reservoirs located at a short distance from nesting sites are a wonderful refuge for newly hatched cubs.

After concluding their journey from the breeding site to the nesting site, the females lay their eggs. The female lays her eggs in July in a hole in the ground, which she digs with her hind legs. The eggs have thin shells, their dimensions reach 2x3 cm. One female has an average of 6 to 16 eggs (occasionally their number reaches 20).

The eggs do not remain in direct clear rays, but burrow into the ground to a depth of several centimeters, where in favorable temperature conditions incubated for approximately 100 days.

The most important for the positive development of the embryo are high temperatures in June and July. Turtles in their eggs, like other reptiles, undergo a thermal sex determination process. Yes, in warm summer days hatches larger than females, and in cold weather - males.

When temperatures are low, turtles are able to overwinter in their eggs until spring. If the summer is cool, then turtles do not hatch, this happens more often on the northern borders of the natural range of this species.

Under typical conditions, in late autumn, small tortoises 2.5 cm long, which have a soft shell, hatch from eggs. They emerge from their earthen burrows only in spring.

After the young turtles leave the nest, they head into the water. During this trip, the cubs are vulnerable to attacks from all kinds of terrestrial predators. Only after 10 years of life does their shell become so huge and strong that turtles can feel relatively safe. Juveniles reach sexual maturity in about 7 years.

Depending on the weather conditions The spotted turtle leads an energetic lifestyle from March or April to October. Turtles go into hibernation in autumn.

Bog turtles in each Europe are under state protection, have the rank of unconditional protection. Trapping and hunting them is strictly prohibited.

The shell of a fairly adult tortoise is usually wrinkled. Its length depends on a certain subspecies and, as a rule, reaches 28 centimeters. It has small spot at the eyes. The peculiarity is that their colors are diverse and tend to change over the years. Thus, in youth they have a green color, and in old age they are completely black. The ventral shield of the shell has a bright yellow color with darkish round spots. The turtle grows as follows: for the first year and a half of their life, their growth reaches 7.5 cm, then the pace becomes slower and it increases by only 1.25 cm per year. In two years, growth can be more than 20 cm, that is, it is a mistake to consider it dwarf. And do not listen to sellers who convince otherwise.

The length of the species Scripta Scripta reaches approximately 27 cm. This turtle has a bright yellow postorbital spot. Her plastron is a deep yellow.

Another subspecies - Elegant, has a length of 28 centimeters. A reddish postorbital stripe is located on the head, and there are narrow stripes on the chin. The ventral shield of the carapace has large spots on all shields.

The third species of tortoise, Scripta Troostii, has the shortest length of all - about 21 centimeters. On the head there is a narrow postorbital strip of yellowish color, and on the chin there are wide stripes. And its plastron consists of unusual drawings in the form of "eyes", and sometimes from ordinary small black spots.

Habitat

Turtles live in shallow lakes with swampy low shores. You can find them in the USA in Florida, Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, as well as in Mexico, throughout Central America, in northern Colombia.

What to feed the red-eared turtle

As for young turtles, they need for the active life growth of the body animal food. In this regard, it should be given once a day, but no more. Also, the aquarium should have a variety of algae and any other plants that are edible for turtles.

Adult turtles are individuals that are much larger than 12 centimeters. They must eat food once every two or three days, and half of their diet must necessarily be some kind of vegetation. There should be any edible plants in the aquaterrarium so that the turtles can eat them between meals of animal food.

The amount of food given is determined based on the size of the turtle. For babies, the norm is two or three pieces of one cubic centimeter, and for older turtles, two or three pieces are several times larger.

It is necessary to ensure that the food is at a suitable room temperature and must be of a raw consistency. It is important to remember that young turtles are primarily predators. Their main food is fish. You can add live fish to the aquarium, which they will not be able to eat. It is necessary to diversify the given diet and not feed only gammarus and dry food. Adult turtles are omnivores. They eat both animal and vegetable food.

Types of food

From fish it is useful for turtles to eat pollock, gobies, cod, blue whiting and any other, but not fatty. Liver can be beef, and you can also give the liver, chicken heart. From insects and crustaceans: not dry gammarus, earthworms, daphnia crustaceans, crickets without legs, beetles. You can also diversify the food he serves with the help of small snails, mollusks, squids, frogs, small tadpoles, you should not get carried away with marine products, since any turtle is marine in itself. From plant food water plants are not prohibited: duckweed, hyacinth and others. In addition, it can be dandelion, daisies and any non-poisonous meadow flowers and plants. And vegetables, except for carrots and lettuce, are undesirable.

It is strictly forbidden to give turtles meat to eat: any minced meat, sausages, beef, sausage, lamb, chicken, pork and more. Forbidden oily fish, cheese, fruit and bread. It is best to avoid dry food.

If the aquarium is well equipped, has ultraviolet lighting, appropriate temperature conditions, then vitamins can not be included in the diet. But, in the case when the conditions are far from ideal, then it is necessary to remember about the vitamin-mineral basis. Especially for this, vitamins are already included in the feed.

reproduction

Puberty occurs in females and males in different ways, and this is also influenced by their lifestyle. If they are in captivity, then this period begins at 4 years for males and from 5-6 years for females. And in the wild, they reach maturity by about 8 years. The mating season begins in spring: in March - April. Their process is as follows: the male crawls very close to the female, sticks his muzzle into her and tickles her chin with long claws.

The eggs laid do not exceed 4 cm in size. They are laid on land, and not in water. But the place for the eggs must be wet, so the female wets it with water from the anal bladders and then pulls out a small hole. Female turtles lay no more than 10 eggs in their nests, which are subsequently buried. The incubation period is up to 150 days. Interesting feature with temperature. If the temperature remains above 30 degrees, then females hatch, and if below 27 - males.

What should be the aquarium for the red-eared turtle

It should be quite long, but at the same time narrow and low. By volume not less than 120 liters. The water level must match the proportions of your turtle's shell so that it can roll over. The aquarium should be equipped with a small shore. Maintain water temperature within 25 degrees, on land - 31 - 33 degrees. To keep the temperature at the level, a special heater must be provided.

Water must be changed and cleaned depending on the degree of contamination. But you can use a special filter. For young turtles, the external one is preferred, while for adults, only the internal one. An ultraviolet lamp will not hurt either, but it should not be low, the approximate height is 25 cm, so that the turtle does not get an eye burn. Another option for arranging an aquaterrarium is an incandescent lamp with the same requirements. They both need to be turned off at night.

If the window is good warm weather, then try to take out the turtles to bask more often. But remember that the first time you do not need to keep it in the sun for more than 5 minutes. And it is important to increase the time spent on fresh air gradually. They also need a dark place where they can periodically hide from the sun, as they are prone to overheating.

So, for the remaining two turtles from January to March, the temperature should be 18 degrees, and the lighting duration should be 8 hours, April - 21/8, where 21 is the temperature, and 8 is the duration of lighting, May - 24/10, June - 27 /13, July - 28/13, August - 28/11, September - 25/10, October - 22/8, November and December - 18/8.

And for Trachemys scripta troostii, the requirements are as follows: January - March - 18/8, April - 20/8, May - 21/10, June - 23/13, July - 26/13, August - 25/11, September - 20/20 10, October - December - 18/8.

Falling into hibernation

Some scientists claim that Trachemys scripta hibernates and that they need it. But it is quite difficult to imagine this process at home. It would be more logical not to create difficulties for yourself and not cause unnecessary harm to the health of the turtle by organizing hibernation.

Up to 45 years, and European swamps can stretch up to 80.

Many fishermen use their eggs to lure fish.

Be careful, as turtles can bite not only their own kind, but also a person! But if they are accustomed to hands, then there is nothing to be afraid of.

And do not forget that a balanced diet is the key to the active growth of the turtle and its longevity!

Video review

Medium sized turtle. The length of the shell is from 18 to 30 cm, depending on the sex of the turtle and subspecies. Males are noticeably smaller than females. In young animals, the shell is bright green, with age it becomes olive or yellow-brown, decorated with patterns of yellow stripes. On the head, neck and limbs, the turtle is decorated with a pattern of white and green wavy stripes and spots. The turtle got its name from two elongated bright red spots next to the eyes. This spot can be orange, bright yellow in the Cumberland tortoise, or the Troust tortoise, or yellow in the Yellow-bellied tortoise. The bottom of the shell is oval, as a rule, dark color with yellow lines and yellow border around the edge.

Red-eared turtle can be considered long-lived. Under favorable conditions, it may well live 30 - 40 years. At the same time, the turtle has quite high level intelligence, which at times surpasses the mind of many reptiles. It is able to perceive sounds at very low frequencies. For example, the red-eared turtle feels the vibrations of the soil, the approach of a person or animal at a level of 1000-3000 hertz. At the same time, representatives of this species are endowed with very sharp eyesight. So in search of food, they first pay attention to the color of the object, and only then - to the smell and taste. In addition, the females are very prolific, and the little turtles that are born are very hardy and grow quickly. The size of a newborn baby is about 3 cm, in adults it is 10 times larger. The females are much larger than the males. During the year, the shell grows by 1 cm, this rapid process is facilitated by food with a high protein content. But kept turtles at home are 15-20 cm smaller than their free relatives and do not experience discomfort due to cramped housing.

The red-eared turtle is widely distributed in nature. Its range covers the United States from southern Virginia to northern Florida and Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico in the west, Mexico, all Central America, northwest South America(northern Colombia and Venezuela). The species was introduced to the south of Florida, Arizona, Guadeloupe, Israel, South Africa and some European countries. In particular, to Spain, Great Britain. The red-eared turtle has entered Australia, where it is officially recognized as a pest, displacing the local endemic fauna.

In nature, it lives in small lakes, ponds and other bodies of water with low, swampy shores. Leads a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Extremely curious. If the turtle is full, it climbs ashore and basks in the sun. When hungry, it slowly swims in search of food. When the water temperature is below +18 °C, the turtle becomes lethargic and loses its appetite. The turtle is able to notice the danger at a distance of 30-40 m, after which it slides into the water with lightning speed, for which it received the name "Slider".

Vocal cords turtles are not developed. He can only hiss and snort with excitement. The red-eared turtle has well-developed eyesight and sense of smell. In contrast to vision, hearing is poorly developed. However, red-eared turtles are very well oriented by ear and hide in the water at any rustle. She not only hisses, but also makes a sound like a short squeak.

The red-eared tortoise, contrary to popular belief, is very mobile and fast. With these qualities, she could well compete with some types of fish, and it’s not a fact that she would come to the finish line second. This representative does not lose her agility on land either. Here, as quickly as in the water, she is able to bypass obstacles in her path and hide from her pursuers.

The red-eared tortoise has no teeth, but thanks to the remarkable strength of the jaw muscles, it can crush a fairly solid object. When threatened by other inhabitants of flora and fauna, the individual throws its head forward with lightning speed and bites its offender. Adults of this species can inflict serious wounds while defending their lives. At the same time, the red-eared beauty knows how to scratch, her nails are strong and very sharp, which she also often uses for self-defense. People should beware of the hind legs of this creature, because the turtle will try to push them off the hands. Therefore, experts do not recommend pulling the red-eared turtle out of the water for children. This should be done by adults: very carefully and without squeezing the shell, while keeping it at a decent distance from the face and areas with open skin.

An adult turtle needs an aquaterrarium with a volume of 100-150 liters, it is desirable that the land occupies about 25% of its area. If possible, soil or gravel is poured on the shore. On land, they arrange a gentle ascent with a rough, but not scratchy surface. The water level must be greater than the width of the shell, so that once on its back, for some reason, the turtle could roll over and not drown.

The temperature of the water in the aquarium should not be lowered below 20°C, normal temperature 24-30°С (it is desirable to install a heater to maintain the temperature). The water in the aquarium is changed as needed, 1-2 times a week. The water filter allows you to do this much less often. However, a complete water change should be done at least once a month. It is advisable to install an incandescent lamp above the island in the aquarium. Turtles love to bask on dry land. Also, for the normal maintenance of the red-eared turtle, a source of dosed ultraviolet radiation is needed.

In captivity, the diet of red-eared turtles includes small crustaceans such as gammarus or shrimp. Small aquarium or river snails, small or sliced ​​\u200b\u200bfish, meat cut into small strips, liver, small frogs, tadpoles, various insects and their larvae, earthworms, bloodworms, tubifex are also suitable.

Do not forget that food red-eared turtles should include foods rich in calcium: fish heads, bone meal, chalk, egg shells, etc. The diet of adult turtles includes additional plant foods. Pets eat well dandelion leaves, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, plantain. Of the algae, duckweed, elodea, spirogyra are well eaten, sea ​​kale, anacharis, watercress, edogonium, etc. Young red-eared turtles are fed 2 times a day. Later transferred to single meals. Turtles older than 2 years should be fed no more than 2-3 times a week.

You should not feed the turtle the same, the diet should be varied. The amount of food is selected so that the turtles eat everything without leaving anything in the water. Turtles should be fed at the same time. It’s good if the turtle warmed up well before that. At a temperature of 28-30 °, the digestion of turtles proceeds much more intensively. You can also feed turtles outside the aquarium, for example, in a basin with water. This will help keep the aquarium clean. If the turtle's food is not very diverse, it should be given vitamins or vitamin complexes. You can find them in pet stores, choose them marked "for reptiles". Vitamins are fed to hungry turtles with food. The dosage must be looked at in the instructions for the drug.

Reproduction of red-eared turtles

Young red-eared turtles are almost the same, regardless of gender. Determining the sex of animals becomes possible when they become adults. Already at the age of more than one year, the turtles begin to observe sexual differences. The sex of the red-eared turtle is easier to determine in comparison with other individuals. Females tend to grow much larger than males. Although with a difference in age in animals, this sign cannot be used. Males have longer claws on their front paws than females. They serve for the mating dance and help to stay on the female during mating. The tail of the male is thicker and longer than that of the female. The lower part of the body in females is flat, while in males it is concave. The spots on the turtle's head are larger and brighter in color in males. In nature, turtles reach puberty by 5-6 years, in captivity this happens a little earlier.

The courtship period for red-eared turtles occurs between March and July, and in captivity can occur at any time of the year. The male swims in front of the female with his tail forward, and gently touches her muzzle with claws, as if trying to stroke. If the female is ready to breed, then she accepts courtship, otherwise the female drives the male away. In some cases, it comes to a fight. Young turtles can also perform mating dance, but not reaching reproductive age, they are incapable of reproduction.

After successful mating, the female spends more time in the sun. Her eating habits may change, the amount of food eaten may change, some types of habitual food may be rejected. This is a normal reaction, it is worth trying to feed her with other foods and adjust the amount of food.

Pregnancy lasts an average of about two months, if the female cannot find a suitable place for laying, this period can be extended. During the last two weeks, the female spends a lot of time on land, sniffing and digging the ground. Having chosen a place, the turtle abundantly wets the ground from the anal bladders and digs a nest with its hind legs. A female red-eared turtle can lay 1 to 22 eggs, with an average of 5-10. She lacks the instinct to care for her offspring. After laying eggs, the female leaves the nest.

The incubation period lasts 100-150 days. The incubation time and sex of young turtles depends on the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. At temperatures above 29°C females are born, below 27°C only males. Turtles use an egg tooth to pierce the egg shell, which falls off an hour after birth. After leaving the egg, a small pouch is present on the belly of the newborn, it contains the remnants of food incubation period. Soon it will fall off, and the small wound left in its place will heal safely.

Diseases and treatment of red-eared turtles

The most common disease in red-eared turtles is pneumonia. Experts do not recommend keeping these exotic pets outside the aquarium. The owners of the turtle sometimes let it out for a walk around the apartment, thinking that this will be useful for the pet. In fact, this can be very dangerous, because the reptile can get into a draft and catch a cold. This also applies to the location of the terrarium, try to place it only in a place protected from wind and draft.

If you notice that the animal is lethargic, eats poorly, or refuses to eat at all, most likely it has pneumonia. In an aquarium, a reptile swims only on the surface; it simply cannot dive. Probably your a pet overcooled. It can be treated in two ways.

Traditional drug method assumes a course intramuscular injections. Keep in mind that red-eared turtles should only be treated under the supervision of a veterinarian. Self-medication can cost your pet's life. And don't forget about important point: when you calculate the amount of medicine for the weight of the turtle, you need to subtract the weight of the shell. To do this, it suffices to divide total weight in half.

Some turtle owners are afraid to use medications and resort to methods traditional medicine. One of the methods is based on steam baths. You need to prepare a decoction of chamomile. Next, you should slightly warm the broth and hold the turtle over the steam for a while. Watch the steam temperature. he must not burn his hand. Now we are preparing a warm bath. In a ratio of 1: 3, we dilute a decoction of chamomile in water, the temperature should be about 30 ° C. Accept therapeutic baths turtle should about an hour.

Diseases of the eyes of red-eared turtles. Keep an eye on the animal at all times. Check your eyes. If you notice swelling of the eyelids, excessive discharge from the eyes, purple color of the mucosa, be sure to go to a specialist. For the treatment of diseases of the eyes of red-eared turtles, they must be kept on land. It is necessary to treat the affected mucosa with a veterinary remedy. It can be antibiotics or sulfonamides. Take a clean bath at 28°C once a day for several hours. Water must be absolutely clean. Treatment is carried out until the veterinarian confirms the recovery.

Diseases of the shell of red-eared turtles. The symptoms of pet turtle disease are soft-touch shells, lethargic behavior, and poor appetite. Most often, symptoms appear from a lack of ultraviolet radiation, poor absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. To eliminate such problems, expose your pets to a UV lamp daily. Such a lamp can be purchased at a pet store.

To treat this disease of red-eared turtles, raw fish, preferably with small bones, should be present in the diet daily. Include calcium and vitamin supplements in your diet. Turtle shell diseases are dangerous and their treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. It is especially worth reacting quickly if the animal has a detachment of the horny plates from the shell. With active growth, this phenomenon is permissible, but with age it can only occur if the reptile is improperly kept. Disease prevention and treatment for red-eared turtles means careful care. This also applies to the diet. Perhaps such a violation is a consequence of drying. A fungus or blue-green algae can provoke exfoliation.

And at the end, in a concise form, we will present all the rules that must be observed when keeping red-eared turtles.

When keeping red-eared turtles it is impossible:
keep tight;
keep a turtle in an aquarium without sushi; the turtle is able to drown, despite the fact that it is aquatic;
keep a turtle without heating;
only feed the turtles raw meat;
feed turtles only plant food;
if the turtle does not receive food rich in calcium, it is imperative to give mineral supplements;
add oily vitamins “by eye” to the feed;
keep turtles in dirty water, especially if a film forms on the surface;
clean the turtle with coarse brushes and even more so remove the horny shields if it is overgrown with algae;
keep several males in one aquarium and introduce new animals without prior quarantine;
use only smooth materials (glass, plastic) for the construction of the ladder and the island;
wash the aquarium in the kitchen and use dishes for turtles in which food is prepared for people.
regularly clean the aquarium;
hibernation for turtles is optional;

If you are lucky enough to meet a turtle with yellow spots on the body is a European marsh turtle. She is one of two representatives of the marsh genus, and the yellow spots on the body of the turtle are its distinguishing feature.

This representative of reptiles, exotic for our geographical area, lives, like other modern turtles, in a form that has been preserved almost unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.

The fact that for such a long period, these animals have survived almost in the same form, underlines their great adaptability and incredible biology.

The European marsh turtle is a reptile from the freshwater family that lives in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Western Asia, as well as in Europe, with the exception of its northern part: Scandinavia, Great Britain, the Benelux countries, northern France and Estonia. It also lives in northern Africa.

Name synonyms: Testudo europaea (Schneider, 1783), Testudo orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758).

Foreign names:

• Latin name: Emys orbicularis;
• English: European Pond Turtle;
• German: Europäische Sumpfschildkröte;
• Czech: Želva bahenni
• French: Cistude d'Europe;
• Spanish: Galápago europeo.

External differences of the European marsh turtle

• The shell of this turtle is smooth, covered with small yellow dots and spots. The back is brown with small yellow spots. Larger yellow spots are located on the abdomen. They may also cover the head and legs. But sometimes this pronounced sign is absent;
• The skin is black, has numerous yellow spots of different sizes, sometimes merging with each other. Sometimes the skin becomes completely yellow. The location of these yellow spots has an irregular character, completely different in each animal, like fingerprints in humans;
• Eyes - the iris in females is pale yellow, while in males it has an orange or almost reddish tint;
• Size - there are sex differences in size associated with the physiology of reproduction, males are slightly smaller than females and have a concave lower part of the body (plastron), in the female it is rather flat. Also, females and males are characterized by differences in the size of the tail. Males have a much longer and more massive tail. The upper part of the carapace shell in both sexes is very similar, slightly convex, often richly covered with algae. The usual representative of this species has a carapace length of about 20 cm in females and 17 cm in males.

Eyelids are opaque, flexible. The tail is 1/3 of the length of the shell. The head can be retracted and hidden in the shell.

Lifestyle and behavior

The European bog turtle can live for over 120 years in the wild. These types of turtles most of their lives in the immediate vicinity of water bodies, only females that lay eggs come out of them to land. The turtle hunts in the water, it lives mainly in this environment. In the water, it moves smoothly, awkwardly and slowly.

Active during the day, lives in stagnant or slowly moving bodies of water with a muddy bottom (small, overgrown lakes, forest ponds, swamps, densely overgrown and hard-to-reach ponds, big rivers with dense vegetation).

She spends most of her time in the water, but breathes atmospheric air. Under water can be up to one hour. The animal is very shy and cautious, so it is difficult to meet it. In quiet places likes to get out of the water and soak up the sun. The European tortoise with yellow spots over the body hibernates deep in the mud, at the bottom of water bodies for about 6-7 months (usually from October to March).

Males are very aggressive towards each other, especially during the mating season.

This species easily tolerates drought and is resistant to low temperatures; it loses its motor activity only at temperatures of 2-3 ° C.

Feeds on insects, snails, tadpoles, sometimes eats amphibians and fish. The main food for turtles is insect larvae, invertebrates and various amphibians, fish fry, sometimes they feed on carrion.

These animals feed around the clock, however, they are especially active at dusk and sometimes at night. They capture their prey with their jaws and tear with their claws. During the day on clear days, they rest and bask in the sun.

How do representatives of this species reproduce?

Turtles wake up from hibernation in early spring and become active in late March or early April, depending on the weather. The mating period takes place in the water and begins in April, as the animals are very resistant to low temperatures.

Shortly after awakening, individuals walk in the shallow parts of lakes and reservoirs. Mating is very expressive and active. There have been cases of mutilation during mating games.

After the mating season is over, the males remain in their former territories, while the females go on a hike in late May and early June to the nesting sites, where they will be for many years. Reservoirs located at a short distance from nesting sites are an excellent refuge for newly hatched cubs.

After completing their journey from breeding site to nesting site, females lay eggs. The female lays her eggs in July in a hole in the ground, which she digs with her hind legs. The eggs have thin shells, their dimensions reach 2x3 cm. One female has an average of 6 to 16 eggs (sometimes their number reaches 20).

Eggs don't stay on straight sunshine, and burrow into the ground to a depth of several centimeters, where, under favorable temperature conditions, they are incubated for about 100 days.

The most important for the proper development of the embryo are the high temperatures in June and July. Turtles in their eggs, like other reptiles, undergo a thermal sex determination process. So, on warm summer days, more females hatch, and on cold days, more males.

When temperatures are low, turtles are able to overwinter in their eggs until spring. If the summer is cool, then turtles do not hatch, this happens more often on the northern borders of the natural range of this species.

AT normal conditions at the end of autumn, small turtles 2.5 cm long, which have a soft shell, appear from the eggs. They emerge from their earthen burrows only in spring.

In which direction, according to feng shui, should the feng shui turtle be facing?- that is the question.

Help me get out of a terrible situation! I accidentally moved the stone turtle from its feng shui location at the west facing front door of our house and now I don't remember its exact feng shui position/direction.

I am well aware of how important this is for my wife, who has been absent for several days now, and if by her return the turtle does not take its former feng shui position, I will be in trouble!!! So serious that I might even have to help her clean up! Any feng shui help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: Good feng shui question. First, there is no cause for concern. Even if a feng shui talisman is out of place for several days, the likelihood that its feng shui influence will be significantly weakened is extremely negligible.

There are several feng shui rules, or guidelines for placing a feng shui talisman like a turtle in your home, garden, or office.

The tortoise is one of the four Celestial Animals, or Feng Shui Protectors, which are the Green Dragon (East), the Red Phoenix (South), white tiger(West) and Black Turtle (North).

They are considered the guardians of positive feng shui energies, and their symbolism and uses in feng shui practices are deeply rooted in the very origins of feng shui teachings, namely the school of landscape feng shui. All this leads us to the original use of turtles as a feng shui talisman, namely as a protective feng shui amulet, the purpose of which is to protect and strengthen the energy of the house, if the turtle is placed in its depths. This also means that you can place little turtle figures in the office behind you or hidden in the depths of the garden.

Another use of the turtle feng shui symbol, especially the black one cast in metal, is its role as an energetic career booster and Guardian of the North feng shui as it helps to attract the calm down to earth energy for business projects and career advancement.

The third use of a turtle as a feng shui talisman and amulet is to attract stable earth energy to the feng shui zone on your feng shui map, i.e. Bagua, which requires protection and support. You mentioned that you have a stone turtle at the west-facing front door, which (turtle) attracts earth energy (Earth stone/element feng shui) to it and gives protection to the main entrance.
Great choice! If your wife has this feng shui usage for the turtle, make sure it is facing towards the main entrance door.

The fourth application is based on a slightly more advanced feng shui, also compared to your case, where the feng shui of the turtle turns its head in the direction most favorable for the inhabitants of the house. This is the most favorable direction is calculated based on the Kua number, the feng shui element of the year of birth and the direction of feng shui energy flows in this year.

There are many varieties of feng shui turtles, among which there are very unusual in their design, made of a variety of materials and with different kind accessories such as feng shui coins to attract money or improve health, etc.

There are also feng shui terrapins, which should not be confused with feng shui turtles, as their feng shui application is somewhat different.

Thus, in general, there is nothing to worry about. Most likely you remember the approximate position of the turtle. If you are in doubt, install it with your head turned towards the main entrance, but definitely ask your wife for advice if she used this talisman in a more advanced, in the sense of feng shui, way.

You can't go wrong if you treat this Feng Shui Celestial Symbol with respect. In addition, your wife will appreciate not only your help with cleaning, but also your respect for the subject of her interest (feng shui)!