Mediterranean turtle (Testudo graeca). Exotic animals What kind of life does a Mediterranean tortoise lead in summer?

JERRY, THE WOLF, THE HEDGEHOG AND THE TURTLE The light gray shepherd Jerry came to Kostya when he was just a baby. She was half-blind and trembling all over. They made her bed in a pasta box and in the first days they covered her with hot irons on all sides so that Jerry would not freeze. In Jerry's life there was

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The Mediterranean tortoise often decorates terrariums. This turtle is one of four living in modern Europe. This species of animal is not protected, but the international organization for animal protection considers that minimal risks are present.

Description

The Mediterranean tortoise is a small one. An adult of this species does not exceed 30 centimeters. The shell is very strong, which completely covers the entire body, which helps it to fully receive protection from predators. The shell is convex, the shields of which form a complex pattern with dark-colored rings. These rings are used to determine the age of the turtle; the more rings, the older the turtle species. The only point is that the exact age cannot be determined from the rings, since the number of rings does not coincide with the age of the turtle. We will tell you about the reproduction of turtles below, but so that you are not deceived when purchasing, you should know that a recently born turtle has a shell of about 3 centimeters.

Where does the Mediterranean turtle live?

This species of land turtles can be found on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, which is where the name of this species comes from. These turtles are observed in areas with completely different climates. The habitat of this species is North Africa, Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. It has been revealed that this type of turtle loves steppe or semi-desert areas; they have also been seen on mountain slopes in bushes. Sometimes they were found in fields and vineyards, but it is not possible to scientifically explain such behavior. This species is most active during the day, but in hot summer weather they prefer to burrow underground or hide under branches, bushes or. In cold weather, turtles prefer to climb out onto some sunny pebble and bask in the sun. During the winter, representatives of this species hibernate. They look for shelter in the roots of large trees; if they don’t find one, they simply burrow into the ground. For owners of this type of turtle, it is recommended to maintain room temperature conditions, i.e. around 20°C.

Reproduction

These animals emerge from hibernation in March, when the temperature rises above 12°C. Immediately after leaving this mode of life, they begin mating games, which can be seen mainly in open places. Mating games in Mediterranean turtles look something like this: the male approaches the female closely and is pulled into the shell almost completely and begins to tap the nearest edge of his shell against the female’s shell. The main breeding season is summer. Starting in June, females begin to lay eggs in pre-dug and prepared holes. Each clutch contains from 3 to 8 eggs and they can lay eggs up to 4 times during the summer. After she has laid them, she buries them with soil and tramples the ground after walking over it several times and never returns to this place for the safety of her offspring.

Cubs hatch after 70-80 days; the main feature of these turtles is the egg tooth. It is so called because with this tooth they pierce the shell of the egg and cut it vertically in order to get out. Since young turtles, weighing about 15 grams, are born when it starts to get colder, in most cases they do not climb to the surface, but rather bury themselves in the ground for the winter.

Nutrition

Mediterranean turtles feed mainly, but they can kill a worm in the literal sense of the word, a snail and, in principle, will not refuse either. Despite the fact that they have a shell, they have many enemies. In their daily life, they do not make sounds, but if the turtle senses danger, it begins to hiss quite loudly, thereby scaring away the enemy. Predators mainly attack young turtles because they still have a soft and not yet strong shell. Many predators love to feast on the eggs of this species of turtle.

Mediterranean tortoises are perhaps one of the most popular pets. Yet most reptile lovers know surprisingly little about them.

Keeping and caring for Mediterranean turtles

Nutrition

In nature, reptiles consume flowers, stems and greens. They rarely eat fruit and are never exposed to canned dog food, ice cream, bread, pizza, cheese, cakes or some of the other fancy “treats” that some people offer to pets.

Most turtles fed inappropriate diets become seriously ill. Many die. If you become the owner of a turtle that is addicted to such food, immediately rid the reptile of its addiction. Don't be tempted to give food from the table. Allow the turtle to become hungry enough that it resumes eating its normal, species-healthy diet. This will take some time, during which time offer safe and healthy food.

In captivity, a diet high in fibre, low in protein and calcium will ensure good digestive tract function and shell growth for the reptile. Mediterranean tortoises fed cat or dog food, or other high protein foods such as peas or beans, die from kidney failure or from urate stones in the bladder.

Unfortunately, advice not to give reptiles water has appeared in books on the care of Mediterranean tortoises. They drink water, both in the wild and in captivity. Drinking is not a sign of poor health (although a sudden change in drinking habits does indicate a problem). Most turtles prefer to drink by entering a shallow dish. And they are encouraged to drink by lightly misting them with a garden hose in good weather.

Too much water...

Drowning. Yes, cases occur every year. If there is a pond, make sure it is completely safe and 100% turtle-proof. Mediterranean turtles do not swim, and any outdoor pool or pond poses a serious danger to their life.

Predators

Hedgehogs, raccoons, badgers, rats, dogs and even large ones attack and kill turtles, especially young ones. Make sure your reptile enclosures are 100% safe. If you doubt the strength of the shelter, move the turtles indoors for the night.

Behavior

Male turtles tend to be territorial animals. Two males can fight over territory quite viciously, sometimes resulting in serious injury. Keep such males separately. In a confined terrarium, males cause serious stress to the opposite sex and traumatize females.

Enclosures should be large enough for the female to escape and hide from unwanted attention. Never overcrowd a vivarium that is too small with Mediterranean turtles. This is a recipe for trouble. Placing older females with young, active males is also extremely risky.

Human efforts and investments are required to create living conditions for Mediterranean turtles.

Mediterranean turtle - video

Everyone knows turtles. These harmless, slow animals enjoy constant sympathy, especially among children. They can be seen at the zoo, in the pet store and in many people's homes. Central Asian land tortoises, which can be found in large numbers in the deserts of Central Asia and Kazakhstan in the spring, usually end up in city apartments from pet stores. The second type of land turtle - the Mediterranean, often called the Caucasian, Asia Minor or Greek (although it does not live in Greece) - has become very rare. Even herpetologists who study reptiles only sometimes see this animal in nature, which relatively recently was still found in many places on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in the Transcaucasian republics.

In total, there are more than 200 species of turtles on the globe, most of which are members of the land turtle family. Many large turtles, the land giants of the oceanic islands, were exterminated by people because of their tasty meat. And no one thought, or rather, did not know that these unique ancient animals many millions of years ago looked the same as they do today.

In the Mesozoic era, reptiles reigned on Earth - they swam in the seas and flew through the air, and the largest of them, giant lizards, lived on land. But in this world everything passes, the golden age of reptiles is over... 150 million years ago, most of them disappeared under mysterious circumstances, which scientists from different countries are still arguing about. But some of the ancient reptiles were able to survive to this day, almost unchanged. The turtles that appeared on Earth, which served as the initial forms for modern species, were predominantly terrestrial inhabitants. We learn about the animals that inhabited the ancient land from the remains, skeletons or fragments thereof, and fossilized traces that are discovered by paleontologists during excavations. This is how our contemporaries learned that the largest turtle that once lived lived in water and reached a length of 3.3 m, and the span of its flippers was 3.6 m!

Modern land turtles live in Africa, Asia, Southern Europe and America, but in the Soviet Union there are only 2 species.

The uniqueness of turtles lies in the fact that their body is covered with armor, a shell, which serves as a means of protection for them. The carapace consists of 2 shields: the dorsal (carapace) and the abdominal (plastron), connected to each other by a tendon ligament or a bone bridge. By the shape of the shell, you can determine where the turtle lives - on land or in water. Terrestrial turtles have a high, dome-shaped, often tuberculate shell; in species that live in water, especially marine ones, it is flattened, smooth, and streamlined. Unlike other reptiles, only the cervical and caudal sections of the spine are mobile in turtles, while the rest grows to the carapace. Toothless, with sharp horny edges, the jaws of turtles are perfectly adapted to feeding on plant foods, although on occasion they do not disdain animals. Turtles, like all reptiles, breathe with lungs that have a complex, spongy structure. They hear almost nothing, perceiving sounds only of low and medium frequencies; their underdeveloped hearing is compensated by their well-developed vision and sense of smell.

Turtles are inhabitants of southern latitudes. They usually inhabit open spaces, steppes, savannas and deserts. Only a few species are found in damp and wooded areas.

In case of danger, these clumsy animals do not flee, but hide in their shell, pulling their head and paws inside. In this case, the neck bends in a vertical plane in an S-shape and is pulled together with the head under the shell. Therefore, all terrestrial turtles, together with freshwater and others, are united in the suborder of cryptonecked turtles.

Mediterranean turtle- a typical representative of its family and order of turtles. Therefore, by talking about it, we will thereby give an answer to everyone who wants to learn more about these animals.

The Mediterranean turtle is a medium-sized animal, up to 30-35 cm long. On top it is colored yellowish-brown or light olive, usually with dark spots on the scutes. The carapace is convex and smooth, slightly serrated along the posterior edge. There are large symmetrical shields on the head. There are scutes of the same size, but overlapping each other, on the outer surface of the front legs, and on the hips there is one large conical tubercle. There are 5 claws on the front paws, not 4, like the Central Asian turtle.

Apart from the Soviet Union, this turtle is distributed in North Africa, Southern Spain, the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, Syria, Iran, Iraq and Western Asia.

In the Western Caucasus, this animal is found in forest clearings, gardens and vineyards, and meadows. The habitat of the turtle in Transcaucasia is different in that it prefers dry steppes and mountain slopes covered with bushes and open forests. In nature, the Mediterranean tortoise feeds on lush herbaceous vegetation, mainly legumes and asteraceae, while eating green parts of plants and flowers, and sometimes fruits and berries. The turtle also consumes small amounts of animal food - mollusks, worms, insects. There is evidence that these turtles often eat the chicks of ground-nesting birds and even use excrement as food. In Bulgaria, a closely related species, the Balkan tortoise, was twice observed eating the carcasses of a lamb and an adult tortoise. Sometimes animals walk along the seashore and pick up food scraps thrown ashore. In captivity, turtles are fed a variety of vegetables and fruits, lettuce, dandelion leaves and other green plants.

The Mediterranean tortoise is a diurnal animal, so they are easy to observe both in nature and in captivity. In summer, they are active in the morning and evening, and turtles spend the hottest hours in the shade to avoid overheating. In winter, turtles hibernate, having previously accumulated the fatty substances necessary to maintain life during this period. They use fox and badger holes, crevices between stones, or burrow themselves into the ground to a shallow depth as shelters.

In spring, with the onset of warm days and the appearance of lush vegetation and flowers, turtles wake up and crawl to the surface. Soon they begin the most crucial period associated with procreation. Peaceful, phlegmatic male turtles turn into furious creatures - they bite each other's heads and paws, causing injury, tearing out pieces of skin and meat. But these mating tournaments do not end in death - the stronger male wins, but the weaker and younger one does not leave the winner alone for a long time. The male shows his attention to the female in a rather unique way, driving her out of hiding with blows of the shield and bites on the legs. The hoarse growling sounds of males are heard only during this period. From the end of May, the female lays 2-8 white, almost spherical eggs with a diameter of up to 35 mm 3 times per season. In a well-warmed place in moist soil, the female digs a special hole with her hind limbs. In soft soil, such a hole can be quickly dug - the Central Asian tortoise, for example, does this in 10-15 minutes. Having dug a hole, the turtle lies motionless for some time, and then begins to lay eggs. Having laid her eggs, she rests, after which she buries the hole and compacts the loose soil with a plastron. Having completed this important process, the female leaves the nest forever.

After 2-3 months, the turtles, ready for hatching, begin to drill into the shell with a sharp horny tooth - an egg tooth located at the end of the beak, break off a piece of the shell, stick their heads out, and then, vigorously working with their hind limbs, crush the shell and climb out. Young turtles, as a rule, do not appear on the surface until the following spring, but burrow even deeper in the vicinity of the nesting chamber.

During hibernation, they feed from the yolk sac, and next spring, already stronger, they appear on the surface. Turtles grow very slowly and reach sexual maturity only at 12-14 years of age.

Intensive growth occurs before the onset of maturity, and the age of turtles during this period can be determined by the number of concentric rings on the horny scutes of the shell. Turtles are among the longest-lived animals in the animal kingdom and have been known to live for up to 100 years in captivity.

In our country, the Mediterranean turtle was common on the western coast of the Black Sea, and many vacationers did not deny themselves the pleasure of bringing home a living souvenir. One of the last refuges of turtles on the Sochi seaside was the yew-boxwood grove of the Caucasus State Reserve, where they were found in large clearings in oak groves. In 1981, the reserve staff organized a special search, but they were unable to find a single specimen, and only a single male was found in the grove the following year. Now numerous tourists visiting the yew-boxwood grove see the turtle not in nature, but in an enclosure.

In the eastern part of its range, in Transcaucasia, the Mediterranean tortoise is still found in natural habitats, and in recent years positive results have been obtained in its captive breeding.