Who are you, miracle? Sometimes you see a picture and it seems like you’ve been living in the world for many years, but still, you have no idea what kind of animal it is! How diverse our nature is! Did you guess the animal? No? Let's go to the cut and I'll tell you.

The suborder of soft-bodied turtles (Trionychoidea) belongs to the family of Three-clawed turtles (Trionychidae), which includes 22 species, grouped into 7 genera. They are widespread in East and South Asia. North America and Africa. These turtles are characterized by interesting anatomical and morphological features. There is no horny cover on the shell: it is covered with soft, wrinkled skin, sometimes bearing horny bumps. The bony carapace is greatly reduced. The carapace has a relatively small bony plate surrounded by a wide cartilaginous ring. The plastron is also largely composed of cartilage.

The most famous and widespread type of trionics is Chinese Trionix(Trionix chinesis). This is the only soft-bodied turtle found in our country. We usually call it simply Far Eastern or soft shell turtle.

The end of the muzzle is extended into a soft, movable proboscis, at the very end of which the nostrils open. The head and neck are completely retracted into the shell, and the neck bends in a vertical plane. Some types, for example Chinese trionix. capable of pulling the anterior part of the plastron towards the carapace. almost blocking the front opening of the shell. The legs have highly developed swimming membranes, three fingers on each of them are armed with long sharp claws, for which the family got its name. The tail is very short.

These features are explained by the lifestyle of soft-bodied turtles. They live in fresh water bodies, rarely leave the water, never moving far from the shore. They breathe. sticking out only the tip of the proboscis to the surface. Moreover, the inner surface of the pharynx is covered with villi with many capillaries, which allows the absorption of oxygen directly from the water. Therefore, soft-bodied turtles can stay at the bottom for a long time without rising to the surface for air. All this fully characterizes the hero of our story - the Chinese Trionix. sole representative soft-bodied turtles living in Russia. Distributed in Primorye (the basin of Lake Khanka) and the Amur region (basins of rivers and lakes of the middle reaches of the Amur to the Vira River in the west and almost to Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Lake Hummi) in the north). Located in Russia Northern part range of this species. To the south it is common in rivers and lakes of Eastern China and Japan. Koren Islands, Taiwan, Hainan. Prefers reservoirs with silty or sandy bottoms, poorly defined underwater vegetation and gentle banks.

In our country, Chinese Trionix is ​​found on Far East south of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and west to the mouth of the Sungari River. This turtle has become rare everywhere and is included in the Red Book of the USSR. Outside our country, trionics is common in Eastern China, Korea, Japan, as well as on the islands of Hainan, Taiwan and even Hawaii. Apparently, turtles were brought to islands far from the mainland by sailors who took them with them as food.

Chinese Trionyx inhabits large and small rivers and lakes in places with muddy or sandy bottoms, sparse underwater vegetation and gently sloping banks where they can climb out for sunbathing. Most The turtle spends time in the water, here it swims and dives magnificently, but on land its movements in danger are also fast and dexterous, so it is very difficult to take it by surprise on the shore. At the slightest alarm, the turtle rushes into the water with lightning speed and dives to the bottom, where it buries itself in the mud. Bottom silt or sand serves the Trionix as both a saving refuge and a convenient ambush during the hunt. With one head exposed, the turtle patiently waits for a fish or other small animal to swim by. With an instant throw of her head she grabs her prey, and it is impossible to escape from her iron jaws.

The turtle's diet consists of fish, shellfish, aquatic crustaceans, insects and worms. In search of fish, trionics often visit fishing spots and examine the nets, which naturally arouses the hatred of the fishermen. Trionics hunt at night, when the animals do not sit in ambush, but intensively search their hunting area.

Turtles overwinter at the bottom of reservoirs, burrowing deep into the mud. In April - May they resume active life and soon begin to reproduce. From late May to August, females lay eggs, and each individual does this 2–3 times during the season. Having found a well-warmed place on a sandy shore near the water, the turtle digs a round hole 15 - 20 cm deep with its hind legs. The female places 20 to 70 round white eggs with a diameter of 2 cm in it. After one and a half to two months, tiny turtles hatch from the eggs with bright colors. - orange coloration of the abdomen. In both China and Japan, trionics are caught and eaten, and their meat is highly valued. They are most often caught with a fishing rod or spear.

Turtle traders have large pools built in their yards in which the caught turtles are kept. Trionics eggs are also edible. In some Japanese temples, Trionics are kept in ponds as sacred animals, just like the temple, Indochinese and jointed turtles in South-East Asia live in ponds of Buddhist monasteries.

Sometimes other representatives of the genus Trionyx, which has 14 species, are also found on sale. Examples include the ocellated (T.hurum) and the beautiful (T.formosus). Gangetic (T.gangeticus) trionics from South Asia, North American spiny (T.spiniferus). evil (T.ferox), smooth (T.muticus) trionics. These species are quite suitable for keeping in home terrarium, their biology is not very different from that of the Chinese Trionix. You just have to keep in mind that this is mostly more large species - maximum length shell 40-70 cm and also the fact that their price on the market is significantly higher. However, the largest trionix (T. triungulus) lives in Africa (except for the north and south of the continent). The length of its shell reaches 90 cm. Knowing the difficult nature of Trionics. it is easy to assume that interaction with such a turtle poses a serious danger.

Previously, only 1 species was identified in the genus of soft-bodied turtles - the large soft-bodied turtle ( Pelochelys bibroni), but over time it became clear that such a classification was erroneous. Now there are 3 species: large soft-bodied turtle ( Pelochelys bibroni), the Cantori soft-shelled turtle ( Pelochelys cantorii) And Pelochelys signifera.

The most common species of soft-shelled turtles. Like the others, it belongs to the family of three-clawed turtles. Pelochelys bibroni is found in southern Papua New Guinea, as well as southern Irian Jaya in Indonesia.

This is a fairly large turtle. The length of its shell can reach 1 meter and even a little more. The flattened, rounded carapace is olive-gray or brown in color. In some places there are blurry light spots on it. The neck is decorated with several longitudinal stripes.

Juveniles have a slightly rough carapace with small tubercles. In adult turtles, it is almost smooth, covered with soft or slightly rough skin. The plastron (lower part of the shell) is connected to the carapace by elastic ligaments.

The head is short and wide. At the end of the muzzle there is a small proboscis with nostrils. The turtle uses it as a kind of breathing tube, allowing it to lie motionless in shallow water and breathe without swimming entirely to the surface. But it's not the only one possible way breathing in these turtles. They can obtain oxygen in other ways.

Under water, the main respiratory organ of a turtle is the pharynx, covered with filiform papillae and villi, which are equipped with many capillaries. Due to this, oxygen is absorbed from the water. This breathing method allows turtles to remain underwater for up to several hours.

Like all soft-bodied turtles, Pelochelys bibroni is aquatic. Prefers to live in fresh water bodies: rivers, estuaries, swamps with a muddy bottom. But it can also be found in coastal sea waters. It comes ashore only during the breeding season - to lay eggs.

Thanks to well-developed membranes on its powerful paws, it swims very well and easily overcomes fast currents.

Soft-bodied turtle Cantori (lat. Pelochelys cantorii)

This is the largest soft-bodied turtle. The length of its carapace can reach 2 meters! Well, the corresponding weight is about 50 kilograms.

Its carapace is smoother than that of Pelochelys bibroni. There may be small bumps in the neck area. They are absent in young turtles.

This species has a wider distribution area: India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Vietnam, South China, Indonesia and the Philippines. This is caused by the ability of these turtles to travel long distances in salty sea ​​water or by their importation into these areas for food consumption.

Pelochelys cantorii, like Pelochelys bibroni, prefers to live in fresh water bodies: slowly flowing rivers or streams. But, despite this, it periodically enters coastal sea waters.

This turtle is ready to spend whole days in the water, coming to the surface for a breath of air only 2-3 times a day. The rest of the time she breathes through her throat.

Ambush predator. It feeds on shrimp, fish, crabs, shellfish and other aquatic life.

In February-March, females come to land to lay eggs. A clutch can contain up to 30 spherical eggs.

Sources:
http: //images.yandex.ru/
http: //www.paludarium.ru
http: //ianimal.ru
http: //www.outside.primorye.ru

In most species of turtles, all soft parts of the body, with the exception of the head, legs and tail, are permanently hidden in the shell. Frightened or disturbed, the turtle will immediately hide its head, legs and tail under the edges of the shell and, protected by it like armor, becomes inaccessible for many animals. The shell, flat at the bottom and convex on the dorsal side, consists of bone formations - scutes, fused together, with ribs and vertebrae of the animal. It is so strong that it is difficult for a predator to bite through it, otherwise you will not get to the soft parts of the turtle.

But there are turtles whose shell is not as strong as other turtles. The bones of the shell do not fuse together, and the entire top is covered with soft dark skin. This turtle is called a soft-bodied turtle.

Most of the time she sits at the bottom of the reservoir. It buries itself in silt or sand, only sticking out the tip of its nose and watching with its bulging eyes to see if a fish swims by. The front part of the muzzle of these turtles is elongated into a long movable proboscis, at the end of which the nostrils open. This proboscis plays the role of a diver’s snorkel, allowing the turtle lying on the bottom of shallow water to breathe without surfacing.

In the turtle's throat, on the mucous membrane there are special outgrowths - villi, abundantly supplied with blood vessels. They act as gills, and thanks to them, a turtle can sit in the water for up to fifteen hours without appearing on the surface. Amazing feature Soft-bodied turtles are capable of cutaneous respiration, which is ensured by the skin richly supplied with capillaries.

The soft-bodied turtle is an edible animal. The meat and eggs of many three-clawed turtles are readily consumed by the local population or exported to other countries. Chinese Trionix is ​​specially bred in ponds in Asia for these purposes and introduced to Hawaii and some other oceanic islands.
Some species of three-clawed soft-shelled turtles play a certain role in culture local residents and are considered sacred animals (for example, dark trionix). Chinese trionics were depicted on katan hilts ( samurai swords), perhaps due to the defensive nature of these aggressive turtles. In some Japanese temples, trionics are kept in ponds as sacred animals.

Currently, to obtain meat and eggs in Japan, China and Indochina and many other Asian countries, Chinese trionix is ​​bred on special farms in ponds and canals. In western Japan, approximately 300 tons of turtles are produced every year. According to a survey of owners of 684 Chinese turtle farms, conducted in 2002, the number of Chinese Trionics on their farms exceeds 300 million, and they annually sell almost 125 million turtles of this species. Thai turtle farmers (as of the late 1990s) raised about 6 million of this turtle species annually; there it is also the main breeding species.

Most species are predators, feeding on aquatic invertebrates and fish. Large individuals can attack chicks of waterfowl crossing a pond small mammals. Some species are omnivores.

Most species have a carapace (dorsal shield) length of 20-60 cm, but, for example, in the large soft-bodied Cantora it can reach two meters.

According to eyewitnesses, these turtles attack faster than any other animal, including cobras.

Distributed in Africa, Asia and North America. In the north, their range reaches the south of the Palaearctic: from the west - southeast Turkey, from the east - the south of the Russian Far East. Found in fresh and slightly salty waters.

Nubian lobed turtle

Senegal lobed turtle

Indian bladed turtle

Red-backed turtle

Gray-backed (Zambezian) lobed turtle

Ceylon lobed turtle

Burmese bladed turtle

Asian softshell turtle

Evil (Florida) Trionix

Smooth Trionix

Spiny Trionix

Indian narrow-headed turtle

Asian narrow-headed turtle

Burmese narrow-headed turtle

Doganiya (Malay)

Beautiful (Burmese) trionics

Gangetic Trionix

Ocellated (peacock) trionyx

Dark trionic

Nagpur soft-shelled turtle or Trionyx Leith

Fringed softshell turtle

New Guinea large soft shell turtle

Cantor's large soft-shelled turtle

Northern New Guinea large softshell turtle

Chinese (Far Eastern) soft-shelled turtle

Lesser's soft-shelled turtle

North China softshell turtle

African or Nile trionics

Euphrates Trionix

Giant Trionix Yangtze

Two-clawed pig-nosed turtle

Description and conservation status

Soft-bodied turtle Svaino ( Rafetus pighoei ) the largest freshwater turtle - its length reaches 110 cm, width 160-200 cm, weight up to 200 kg. These reptiles are characterized by sexual dimorphism: females are larger than males, in addition, males longer tails. The soft-bodied turtle's head is quite large and wide, its muzzle resembles a pig's snout, and its eyes are raised high up. The carapace and plastron are very wide and flat, the limbs are quite massive and powerful. The head, neck and chin are dark olive or olive in color with many large yellow spots. The carapace is olive-green with numerous yellow spots and many small yellow dots between them, the plastron is gray; top part the limbs are dark olive, but the underparts are yellow. The species name of this turtle is given in honor of the British naturalist Robert Swaino, who sent a specimen of the giant turtle to the British Museum in 1873. The soft-bodied turtle Svaino is one of the rare reptiles in the world and is listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List.

Distribution and lifestyle

The soft-bodied turtle is widespread in China (provinces of Yunnan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang), as well as in Northern Vietnam. Inhabits freshwater bodies of water: rivers, swamps, lakes. Active during the day and at dusk. Feeds on fish, snails, crabs, insects, green frogs, water hyacinth seeds, rice leaves.

Reproduction

The female lays from 60 to 130 eggs with a diameter of 20 mm at night or in the morning. Life expectancy is 80-100 years, and maybe longer.

Came in 2013 amazing information that a female of the world's largest freshwater turtle laid eggs in June. In June, researchers collected the eggs of Earth's last female Yangtze giant three-clawed tortoise, hoping that at least one would hatch into a hatchling.

Attempts at breeding in captivity

The 100-kilogram freshwater giants, which spend most of their lives buried in mud, were once common in China's Yangtze River, Lake Taihu and lakes in Yunnan province, as well as freshwater bodies of Vietnam. But by the end of the 1990s, human destruction of their habitat and poaching (the shell of this turtle is very valuable in Chinese folk medicine) quickly reduced the species' numbers. And today there are only four Yangtze giant tortoises left in the world: two wild males in Vietnam, and a female and a male at the Suzhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province. This is the sixth year that giant three-clawed tortoises have been mating at the zoo, but so far none of their eggs have produced offspring. Researchers don't know exactly the cause of infertility, but they speculate that one factor is the male's low sperm quality due to his age (he is approximately one hundred years old).

As with many endangered species, by the time scientists realized the species' numbers were declining, there were almost no turtles left in the wild. In 2006, American non-profit organization Turtle Survival Alliance has started a breeding program soft-bodied turtles Svaino in China: they asked experts to determine the sex of three turtles of this species that were then living in captivity. When an expert visited the Shanghai Zoo in 2007 and Buddhist temple in the urban district of Suzhou, where two individuals of this species were supposed to live, it turned out that they had already died there. The soft-bodied turtle Svaino (male) remains only in the Suzhou Zoo. That's what the experts initially thought. However, it later turned out that another individual lives in the Changsha Zoo - and also a female. Of course, moving a male or female from one zoo to another was risky (it stresses the animal), but the researchers had no choice. After all, in wildlife There are no more individuals of this species left, except for two males in Vietnam. But their capture and transportation would also cause great stress for the animals, which could lead to death. And it was decided to transport the youngest individual living in captivity - a female, who at that time was about 80 years old.

In May 2008, the female finally arrived at the Suzhou Zoo to join the male. And a month later, surprisingly for the researchers, the first clutch of 45 eggs appeared. However, she did not bear offspring, like all the subsequent ones. Today, researchers do not know how long this pair of turtles will live and lay eggs (although there is an assumption that the Yangtze giant turtles able to live much more than a hundred years), but they hope that the last clutch will bear offspring, and they will be able to save this unique look from extinction.

According to other sources, seven living specimens of this species are known. Five of these turtles live in Chinese zoos (one in Beijing Zoo, one in Shanghai Zoo, one in Suzhou Zoo, and two in the Temple of the Western Gardens in Suzhou). Scientists found the sixth in 2007, after several years of searching. During a survey of forested areas west of Hanoi, at the foot of Ba Vi Mountain, the sixth turtle was discovered in the small lake Đồng Mo. This is the only turtle of this species living in natural environment. Before this incredible discovery, soft-bodied turtle Svaino was considered an extinct species in nature!

The seventh turtle was apparently caught in Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi in 2013. This was a real event for all residents of the Vietnamese capital. After all, for centuries in Hanoi there has been a legend about a mysterious turtle goddess who lives in the waters of Hoan Kiem Lake. All Vietnamese know this legend, since the turtle of Hoan Kiem Lake is a symbol of Vietnam’s struggle for independence. The people of Hanoi worship her like a deity and believe in her supernatural powers. Chinese zoo officials want to mate turtles in the hope that they will produce offspring that can be reproduced.

SUBORDER SOFT-BODED TURTLES ( TRIONYCHOIDEA)

Three-clawed turtle family (TRIONYCHIDAB

Not all turtles have a hard horny-bone shell. Among freshwater turtles there are quite large group reptiles that differ from their relatives in that their shell is covered soft skin. Depending on the species, it can be smooth, wrinkled or covered with spines. Simultaneously with the loss of the horny scutes, these turtles also significantly lightened the bone base of the shell.

Rice. 57. Soft-bodied turtles have an original appearance. The photo shows a young Chinese Trionix.

Rice. 58. Even a small soft-bodied turtle tries to bite. The proboscis with nostrils and three claws on the front paw are clearly visible. Now this Chinese trionix lives with my old friend and “ godfather» from aquarium management - M. D. Makhlina.

For many species it is almost completely replaced cartilage tissue. Because of this feature, these turtles were called soft-bodied. Sometimes in the literature they are incorrectly called “leathery”. In fact, leatherback turtles are sea and ocean inhabitants and are not found in fresh water bodies.

Soft-bodied turtles cannot be denied originality. In order not to be detected, they prefer to breathe by slightly sticking an unusual device out of the water - a long flexible proboscis. The head and neck can be completely hidden under the shell, and the neck bends not in a horizontal, but in a vertical plane (as in cryptonecked turtles). In addition to normal breathing using the lungs, soft-bodied turtles have developed an unusual way of replenishing oxygen reserves. To do this, they only open and close their mouths without rising to the surface of the water for hours. The absorbed water washes the special villi that line the mucous membrane of the pharynx. The exchange takes place through them. carbon dioxide for oxygen.

The limbs end in wide flippers; the fingers have two or three sharp, strong claws. Depending on their number, turtles are classified into two different families: Two-clawed (Carettochelydae) and three-clawed (Trionychidae) turtles. In the first family there is only one, almost completely herbivorous, species - Carettochelys insculpta from Northern Australia and New Guinea. It is included in the International Red Book and is extremely rare in Russia, so I will not talk about it in more detail.

Three-clawed turtles (they are often called Trionyxes, after the name of the largest genus) are more common around the world. Most species live in Southeast Asia (12 out of 24 known species). One species was once very common in the Amur. Delicious meat played a cruel joke on him (and not only on him): uncontrolled fishing of tasty reptiles by people greatly reduced the number of turtles.

The structural features of animals are due to their purely aquatic lifestyle. Turtles are reluctant to leave bodies of water. They spend most of their time buried in soft soil - fine sand or silt, guarding their prey. The water level in the reservoir should be such that the turtle can reach the air without getting out of the ground. Water purification must be intensive; the more oxygen contained in the water, the better. When changing water, we must not forget that three-clawed turtles cannot tolerate chlorine dissolved in it. To eliminate it?Either settle the water, or use aquarium preparations to remove chlorine and chloramines (in this way, Trionics are very similar to Matamat).

Rice. 59. Despite all my efforts, I was unable to identify this trionix. The turtles were brought from Vietnam in the early 90s. They lived with me for several years, grew to 15 cm, but almost did not lose the original bright color of the plastron: from orange it became bright yellow.

Three-clawed turtles are active predators and do not eat plants, however, they dig them up when they burrow into the ground. The main food is shellfish, fish, insects. Large reptiles consume small mammals, birds and similar delicacies. It is generally accepted that Trionics do not take non-living food, but the turtles from Vietnam that lived with me several years ago happily devoured pieces of squid, meat, and fish.

All turtles of this family are very aggressive and difficult to tame. Care must be taken when caring for them. Animals must be handled firmly and for sure back carapace. Remember that a turtle's neck is very long, flexible and allows its owner to reach almost to the tail.

Most often, Chinese (Amur) soft-bodied turtles ( Trionyx chinensis). P. Pritchard calls them "sinensis". The length of the carapace reaches 30 cm. On top, the turtle is greenish-brown with small yellow spots, light yellow below. Juveniles have an orange plastron.

Evil Trionix (Trionyxferox) from Florida, is the largest of the four American species. Some specimens can reach a length of 50 cm or even more. Young specimens often end up in Russia Trionyx ferox. Their coloring is very original. With a length of about 3.5-4 cm, turtles have a yellowish-olive carapace with very large, steel-gray spots, often forming concentric circles. Adult turtles gradually lose their juvenile coloration, turning brown. The main food is fish. Can live in brackish water.

Another, smaller one, is also being brought to Russia. American look— spiny trionix ( Trionyx spinifer). It mainly feeds on mollusks and other invertebrates.

More interesting articles

One species of turtle that is often kept as a pet is the Chinese Trionix. Its habitat in nature is very extensive: Japan, Korea, northern Vietnam, southern China, Taiwan. Here the meat of this animal is valued as a delicacy. Also, the Trionics turtle can be found in Hawaii and the Mariana Islands, in Russia - in the Far East in the Ussuri and Amur rivers, on the island. Hanko.

Appearance, behavior

"Trionix" means "three-fingered." The turtle received this name because all its paws have five fingers, and three of them are crowned with sharp claws and connected by swimming membranes. IN aquatic environment the animal feels free. Turtle trionix quickly and swims maneuverably. To rest, she buries her entire body in the mud.

Special respiratory system allows Trionics stay in the water for a long time. Its nose, shaped like a proboscis with nostrils at the tip, gives the animal the opportunity to breathe without leaving the pond. Inner surface The mouth of the Chinese Trionix turtle is covered with villi that retain oxygen, which gives it additional opportunity breathe. The animal carries out skin respiration through blood vessels, densely penetrating the tissues of his body.

Trionix does not experience any particular difficulties in moving on land. However, it is difficult to conquer high obstacles.

The Trionics turtle lives only in fresh water. Her digestive system is designed in such a way that it successfully processes prey, which the animal swallows whole without chewing.

Trionix's character aggressive, and it is impossible to tame an adult wild animal. But individuals raised in captivity get used to the owner, allowing themselves to be fed by hand.

The size of the reptile is 25-30 cm. Weight is 2-4 kg.

Chinese Trionix turtle soft-bodied. That is, its shell consists of skin, and not of horny plates. But the animal can defend itself perfectly sharp teeth , the bite of which is very painful for humans, and can be fatal for underwater game.

Tortoise shell covered with Trionics tubercles, by which one can determine her age. In young individuals they are more convex, and with age they merge with the surface and completely cease to be noticeable.

The color of the Trionics shell is dark green with small yellow spots.

Reproduction

Captivity is not an obstacle to successful reproduction for the Trionics turtle. She reaches sexual maturity at six months of age. You just need to know about biological rhythms pet. In nature, trionics mate after wintering ends. Therefore, it is first necessary to gradually lower the temperature in the aquarium to 16-18 ° C, simulating winter for a couple of months, and then begin to increase again.

The female lays from 20 to 80 eggs at a time. The incubation period is 1.5 months. In one season there can be up to 3 clutches.

Eggs do not ripen on their own; for this you need to purchase a special incubator.

Trionics turtle - typical predator. In nature, it feeds on fish, shellfish, worms, crustaceans, and insects. Its production can be large in size. Trionics can eat a large amount of food at one time.

In captivity of this voracious pet can you feed raw beef and pork, cabbage leaves, lettuce, bloodworms and artificial feed.