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Turtles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER​ TESTUDINES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Reptiles (Class Reptilia)

-Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines)

-Pond and Box Turtles (Family Emydidae)

-Deirochelyine Turtles (Subfamily Deirochelyinae)

-Sliders (Genus Trachemys)

-Mesoamerican Slider (Trachemys venusta)


Pond sliders prefer quiet, soft, muddy bottomed waters with suitable basking spots. They are faithful to their home ranges, leaving only to nest or hibernate.Their diet includes carrion, fish, frogs, shrimp, water snakes, snails, tadpoles and aquatic vegetation such as duckweed. The juveniles are carnivores and as they mature, they add aquatic plants to their diets. Their heads and legs have yellow stripes. Their skin is dark green and brown and they have a wide yellow or red blotch behind the eyes.

Mesoamerican Slider

Trachemys venusta

Diet

  • Omnivorous, feeding on aquatic plants, algae, seeds, fruits, aquatic insects, insect larvae, snails, crayfish, shrimp, tadpoles, small fish, carrion, and worms.

  • Juveniles consume mostly animal prey to support rapid growth, while adults become increasingly herbivorous.

  • Forages both underwater and at the water's surface.

Range

  • Native to eastern and southeastern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

  • In Mexico, it naturally occurs from Tamaulipas south along the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula, and into Chiapas.

  • It is not native to the Pacific coast of Guerrero or the Zihuatanejo region, although escaped or released pet turtles may occasionally be encountered outside their natural range.

Habitat

  • Inhabits ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps, slow-moving rivers, oxbow lakes, canals, and lagoons with abundant aquatic vegetation.

  • Frequently basks on logs, rocks, and floating vegetation.

  • Prefers warm, slow-moving freshwater habitats but may occasionally enter brackish water.

Size

  • Carapace length:

    • Male: 18–28 cm (7.1–11.0 in)

    • Female: 25–38 cm (9.8–15.0 in)

  • Weight: 1–3 kg (2.2–6.6 lb), with large females occasionally exceeding 4 kg (8.8 lb).

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