Eastern Snake Necked Turtle
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ID#24
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Classification:Reptile Endangered Status: Least Concern
Habitat: Swamps, Lakes, watered area, and areas with sandy soil The Eastern Snake-necked turtle is on average 25 cm long. These turtles have powerful webbed feet for digging, swimming and tear apart prey. Females have short, stubby tails mainly hidden under their flattened shells. Males have longer tails but, they are still pretty short, but they are narrower. The turtles have long, narrow necks. Attached to their necks is a small pointed head. Their limbs are dark grey to a brown. The Eastern Snake-neck turtle is diurnal, meaning it is active during the day and sleeps at night. It is carnivorous and feeds on a variety of insects, crustaceans, fish and molluscs. Reproduction is necessary to our ecosystem. A reproductive behavior that males display is to bob their heads and swim very fast. The female buries her eggs 8 inches underground in sandy soil making it nearly impossible for predators to spot the nest. The eggs incubate 3-12 months. A baby turtle is called a hatchling, and a group of hatchlings is a bale. Females can breed up to 3 times a year and lay 5-25 eggs in a clutch. A female snake-necked turtle can live up to 10-12 years and a male can live up to 7-8 years. There are some special characteristics that make the snake-necked turtle unique.Their extremely long neck make this turtle stand out in the family of long necked turtles. Snake-necked turtles do not have many predators but if the fox (which is one of their only natural predators) comes by, it releases their musk or pheromones to scare them off - that is how they earned the nickname "stinkers.". |