That's Not My Turtle...

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These magnificent creatures come in all shapes and sizes and live in a number of different environments. They all belong to a group of reptiles called Testudines, which includes turtles, tortoises and terrapins. If none of the above features apply, then you’re looking at a loggerhead or Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. If you’re still having a hard time, try this sea turtle identification key from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologists. Loggerhead Sea Turtle Continue to step two. No, It’s Soft With No Scutes This Soft Shelled Turtle, also called Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox), enjoys its day in the Everglades national park. Cooters and sliders are the most prevalent turtles in the United States. They’re difficult to tell apart – even for biologists! To complicate matters, some of them hybridize in overlapping territories. If the animal does not resume eating, or shows any of the following symptoms, take it to a vet immediately:

Tortoises are curious by nature and can be tempted by brightly coloured or strong-smelling fruit. For a sulky tortoise, red watermelon is my go-to, though it is high in sugar and should not be given too often.

Range: Mojave and Sonoran deserts of the southwestern United States. East of the Colorado River. Texas Tortoise ( Gopherus berlandieri) Often, when someone tells me their pet turtle isn’t eating, temperature is at fault. I cannot stress enough how important it is to know exactly what temperatures your pet is being exposed to. Finally, we’ve reached the land-dwelling turtles and tortoises. Most of these species don’t have any remarkably unique features. Instead, we’ll break them down by geographic range and overall appearance. Tortoises If this desert tortoise is happy to be identified? Always make sure to leave the animals as undisturbed as possible! Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii)

The United States is also home to another terrestrial testudine: the box turtle. Box turtles share many physical characteristics with tortoises. These adaptations help them both thrive outside of the water. Despite their similarities, box turtles are genetically more closely related to aquatic freshwater turtles than tortoises. Baby turtles are harder to identify down to species level. You can’t use their size to identify them. Unfortunately, adult size is a crucial component for nailing down some turtle species. Some turtles are so small as adults that they can be mistaken for a baby! Red-footed tortoises are reasonably easy to identify. They have a unique, bread loaf-shaped carapace. The middle of each scute has a patch of yellow. Indian Star Tortoise The males and females of the indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) have different sizes: The males are shorter. Turtles with rough, stumpy, elephant-like feet are likely either a type of tortoise or box turtle. Tortoises have blunt nails, and box turtles have sharp claws. Continue to “Identifying a Tortoise” if you’d like to learn more. Baby Turtle Identification With dehydration comes – once again – loss of appetite! To counteract this problem, baby tortoises and terrestrial turtles should be given a warm, shallow bath every day.The easiest way to differentiate the three turtle types is to look at their feet! Webbed Feet = Freshwater Turtle This is a good example of the webbed feet of a freshwater turtle. You can see how they are distinct from many other animals. The loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta) is the world’s LARGEST hard-shelled turtle. They weigh up to 1,202 pounds! Loggerheads have a keeled, dark brown carapace. Males have longer tails and claws than females. Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle The beauty of finding your ‘tribe’: Historical Novel Society of Australia conference October 30, 2023 For terrestrial turtles and tortoises, measure the temperature of the basking spot with an infrared thermometer gun. For ambient temperature, use a digital thermometer probe in one of the animal’s hiding spots on the cool side of the enclosure, and another in a hiding spot on the warm side.

Some Chelonians will have less of an appetite during the spring breeding season, this is natural and nothing to worry about if they are otherwise healthy. Likewise, gravid females often stop eating completely until laying. The role of hydration in tortoise appetiteOne of the most stressful situations is when a turtle is not eating. Fortunately, with turtles and tortoises this problem can generally be solved quite easily, and often without the help of a vet. Continue to step four. Yes, There Are One to Three Keels Common musk turtle Sternotherus odoratus in a pond-2.ARW Turtles belong to one of the oldest reptile groups in the world – beating snakes, crocodiles and alligators!

Denise Newton on Travels with my Ancestors #13: Thomas Eather, Kentish man & Elizabeth Lee, Lancashire lass: pt 2 Along with the tactile features, the repetition of the format in the series, and within each book, allows little ones to anticipate and participate in the story. Diseases that stop feeding are pneumonia, URTDs (upper respiratory tract infections), vitamin A deficiency and Mouth Rot.If your animals are kept outside, pay attention to night-time temperatures towards autumn. If they drop too low your animals may try to hibernate – and, you guessed it – refuse to eat. If you want them to hibernate this is fine, but if they are a species that does not naturally do so you must bring them inside before temperatures dip. They have pyramid-shaped keels on each scute. Indian star tortoises’ name follows the unique, star-shaped streaks on each of the keels. Their pattern helps them blend into the vegetation of Central and South America. Additional Turtle and Tortoise Resources and Education For example, tropical forest species are uncomfortable if kept too warm, despite the fact we tend to think of rainforests as “hot”. The reality is that temperatures there are incredibly stable, hovering around 77°F (25°C) during the day and 72°F (22°C) at night.