The painted turtle ( Chrysemys picta ) is the most extensive native turtle in North America. It lives in slow moving water, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The tortoises are the only species of the genus Chrysemys , which is part of the turtle family in the Emydidae pond. The fossils show that painted turtles appeared 15 million years ago. Four subspecies that are regionally based (east, center, south, and west) evolved during the last ice age.
Adult female turtles are 10-25 cm (4-10 inches) long; men are smaller. The upper skin of the tortoise is dark and smooth, without ridge. His skin olives become black with red, orange, or yellow stripes on his extremities. The subspecies can be distinguished from their shells: the eastern part has a straight upper segment of the shell; midland has a large gray mark on the lower skin; the southern part has a red line at the top of the shell; west has a red pattern on the lower skin.
Turtles feed on aquatic plants, algae, and small water creatures including insects, crustaceans, and fish. Although they are often consumed as eggs or hatchlings by rodents, dogs, and snakes, the hard shell of adult turtles protects them from most predators. Relying on the warmth of its surroundings, painted turtles are only active during the day when it is hours for hours on logs or rocks. During the winter, hibernation turtles, usually in the mud at the bottom of the body of water. The turtle couple in spring and autumn. Females dug nests on land and lay eggs between late spring and mid-summer. Hatching turtles grow to sexual maturity: 2-9 years for males, 6-16 for females.
In the traditional tales of the Algonquian tribe, the colorful turtles play a deceiving role. In modern times, four US states have named their official reptile painting turtles. While habitat loss and street killings have reduced turtle populations, its ability to live in a human-disturbed environment has helped it remain the most abundant turtle in North America. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.
Video Painted turtle
Description
The painted turtle's skin is 10-25 cm (4-10 inches) long, oval, smooth with a small groove in which large, large-scale plates overlap, and flat. The color of the upper shell (carapace) varies from olive to black. Dark specimens are more common where the lower body of the water is darker. The bottom of the skin (plastron) is yellow, sometimes red, sometimes with a dark mark in the middle. Similar to the upper skin, the olive tortoise becomes black, but with red and yellow stripes on the neck, legs and tail. Like other swimming turtles, such as a swamp tortoise, a webbed painted turtle to help swim.
The turtle's head is typical. The face has only yellow stripes, with large yellow spots and streaks behind each eye, and on the chin two broad yellow stripes that meet at the end of the jaw. The upper jaw of this turtle is formed into a reversed "V" (philtrum), with a downward-facing projection, like a tooth on each side.
The hatchlings have larger, proportioned heads, eyes, and tails and a rounder shell than adults. Adult women are generally longer than men, 10-25 cm (4-10 inches) compared to 7-15 cm (3-6 inches). For a certain length, females have a higher upper shell (more rounded, less flat). The average female weighs about 500 g (18 oz), against an average adult average of about 300 g (11 oz). Larger female body volume supports egg production. Males have longer front legs and longer and thicker tails, with anus (cloaca) that lie farther on the tail.
Subspecies
Although the subspecies of the intergrated turtle painted (united together) at their range range differ in their hearts span.
- Male turtle east painted ( C.Ã, p.Ã, picta ) length 13-17 cm (5 -7Ã, inch), while the female is 14-17 cm (6-7 inches). The upper skin is olive green to black and may have a pale line in the middle and red marks on the edges. The segments (scutes) of the upper shell have a leading pale edge and occur in a straight line at the rear, unlike all other North American turtles, including three other painted subspecies of turtles, which have alternating segments. The lower skin is yellow or light-looking. Sometimes as little as one dark gray dot near the bottom of the shell.
- The midland painted turtle ( C.Ã, p.Ã, marginata ) is 10-25Ã,® cm (4-10Ã, in ) length. Midland is located in the middle is the most difficult to distinguish from three other subspecies. The lower skin has a symmetrical dark shadow in the center that varies in size and stands out.
- The southern painted turtle ( C.Ã, p.Ã, dorsalis ), the smallest subspecies, is 10-14 cm (4-6 in) long. The top line is red, and the bottom skin is brown and not stained or almost finished.
- The largest subspecies are Western-painted turtles ( C.Ã, p.Ã, bellii ), which can grow up to 26.6 cm (10 inches). The top of the shell has a mesh-like line pattern, and the top line in the other subspecies is lost or fainted. His lower skin has large colored spots that spread to the edge (farther than midland) and often have red.
Similar species
The painted turtle has a very similar appearance to the red-eared slider (the most common pet turtle) and both are often confused. The painted turtle can be distinguished because it is flatter than the slider. Also, the slider has a prominent red mark on the side of its head ("ear") and a spotted lower shell, both features missing in a painted turtle.
Maps Painted turtle
Ecology
Diet
Hunting hunting is hunting at the bottom of the water. Quickly poked his head in and out of the vegetation to move potential victims out into the open waters, where they were chased. The turtle holds a large prey in its mouth and tears the prey apart with its front legs. It also consumes plants and filters the surface of the water with its mouth open to catch small particles of food.
Although all subspecies of painted turtles eat plants and animals, their special diets vary.
- The eastern painted turtle diet is the most studied. He prefers to eat in water, but has observed eating on land. Consumed fish are usually dead or injured.
- The midland painted turtle mostly feeds on water insects and vascular and non-vascular plants.
- The southern turtle diet changed with age. The teen diet consists of 13% vegetation, while adults eat 88% vegetation. This may indicate that turtles prefer small larvae and other prey, but can only obtain significant amounts when young. The reversal of eating habits with age has also been seen in fake map turtles, which inhabit several similar ranges. Plants most commonly eaten by southern adult turtles are duckweed and algae, and the most common prey items are dragonflies and crayfish larvae.
- The consumption of Western painted plants and animals is changing seasonally. In the early summer, 60% of the food consists of insects. At the end of summer, 55% includes crops. Of note, the help of western-painted turtles in the distribution of water lily seeds. Turtles eat hard seeds, which survive after passing turtles, and spread them through their droppings.
Predator
Painted turtles are most vulnerable to predators when young. The nest is often looted and the eggs are eaten by garter snakes, crows, squirrels, thirteen soil and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red foxes, and humans. Small size and occasional bite, many of the hatchlings fall prey to water fleas, bass fish, catfish, frogs, broken turtles, three types of snakes (copper heads, racers and water snakes), egrets, rice mice, civets , muskrat, mink, and raccoon. As adults, tortoiseshell skin protects them from many potential predators, but they sometimes still fall prey to crocodiles, osprey, ravens, red eagles, bald eagles, and especially raccoons.
Painted turtles defend themselves by kicking, scratching, biting, or urinating. In contrast to the tortoises, painted turtles can be true to themselves if they are reversed.
Life cycle
Married
The painted turtles mate in spring and fall in waters 10-25 Â ° C (50-77 Â ° F). Men start producing sperm early in the spring, when they can bask into the internal temperature of 17Ã, Â ° C (63Ã, Â ° F). Women begin their reproductive cycle in mid-summer, and ovulate the following spring.
Dating begins when a man follows a woman until he meets face to face. He then caressed his face and neck with his elongated paws, a movement returned by a receptive woman. The couple repeats the process several times, with the men backing away from and then returning to the women until she swims down, where they copulate. Because males are smaller than females, they are not dominant. The female sperm shop, which will be used up to three claws, in its fallopian tubes; sperm can last up to three years. Single coupling may have many fathers.
Egg-laying
Nesting is done, by women only, between late May and mid-July. The nest is shaped like a vase and is usually dug in sandy soil, often in places with southern exposure. The nest is often within 200 m (220 cm) of water, but may be as far as 600 m (660 m), with older females tending to nest further into the land. The size of the nest varies depending on the size and location of the woman but the depth is about 5-11 cm (2-4 inches). Females can return to the same place several years in a row, but if some females make their nests close together, the eggs become more susceptible to predators.
The optimal female body temperature when digging the nest is 29-30 Â ° C (84-86 Â ° F). If the weather is unsuitable, for example a night that is too hot in the Southeast, he delayed the process until late at night. The painted turtles in Virginia have been observed to wait three weeks to lodge due to the drought.
While preparing to dig its nest, the woman sometimes exhibits a mysterious initial behavior. He squeezes his throat with soil from a variety of potential sites, perhaps feeling moisture, warmth, texture, or odor, though his exact motivation is unknown. He may be waiting longer by digging up some fake nests like those done by wooden turtles.
The female relies on her hind legs to dig. He may accumulate so much sand and mud on his feet that his mobility is reduced, making him vulnerable to predators. To ease the work, he lubricates the area with his bladder. After the nest is complete, the female deposits enter the hole. Newly placed eggs are white, elliptical, porous, and pliable. From start to finish, a woman's work could take four hours. Sometimes he stays on the ground overnight, before returning to his home water.
Women can put five grips per year, but two are normal averages after including 30-50% of the female population that does not produce grips in a given year. In some northern populations, no woman has more than one clutch per year. Larger women tend to lay larger eggs and more eggs per clutch. The size of the subspecies grip varies, although the differences may reflect different environments, rather than different genetics. The two other northern, western and central subspecies, are larger and have more eggs per clutch - 11.9 and 7.6, respectively - from two more southern subspecies, south (4.2) and east (4.9). In subspecies, also, more northerly women have a larger grip.
Growth
Incubation lasts 72-80 days in the wild and for similar periods in artificial conditions. In August and September, young turtles emerge from their eggs, using a special projection of their jaws called egg teeth. Not all descendants immediately leave the nest. The northern frontiers of the line from Nebraska to northern Illinois to New Jersey usually set themselves symmetrical in the nest and withstand winter to appear next spring.
The ability of the hatchlings to survive in winter in the nest has enabled painted turtles to extend their reach further north than any other American tortoise. Genetically painted turtles adapt for prolonged periods of sub-loading of temperature with blood that can remain cool and skin that resist the penetration of ice crystals in the surrounding soil. The hardest freeze keeps killing many birds.
Immediately after hatching, the turtle relies on yolk for food. About a week to a week and a half after emerging from their eggs (or next spring if their appearance is delayed), children start eating to support growth. Young turtles grow quickly at first, sometimes doubling their size in the first year. Growth slows sharply in sexual maturity and can stop completely. Perhaps due to differences in habitat and diet by water bodies, growth rates often differ from population to population in the same area. Among subspecies, the western painting turtle is the fastest growing.
Women grow faster than men as a whole, and must be bigger to mature sexually. In most of the male population reach sexual maturity at the age of 2-4 years, and women in 6-10. The size and age at maturity increase with the latitude; at the northern end of their reach, men achieve sexual maturity at 7-9 years of age and women in 11-16.
Behavior
Daily and sunbathing routine
A cold-blooded reptile, painted turtles regulate the temperature through its environment, especially by sunbathing. All ages sunbathe for warmth, often with other sea turtle species. Sometimes more than 50 individuals are seen in one log together. Turtles bask in various objects, often logs, but have even been seen basking on the common nest that covers the eggs.
The tortoise begins its day at sunrise, emerging from the water until sunbathing for several hours. Warm up for activity, back to the water for foraging. After the cold, the tortoise reappears for one to two cycles of sunbathing and feeding. At night, a turtle descends to the bottom of its water body or perched on an underwater object and sleeps.
To be active, the turtle must maintain an internal body temperature between 17-23 Â ° C (63-73 Â ° F). When fighting infection, it manipulates temperatures up to 5 Â ° C (8 Â ° F) higher than normal.
Seasonal routine and hibernation
In the spring, when the water reaches 15-18Ã, Â ° C (59-64Ã, Â ° F), turtles begin to actively seek out food. However, if the water temperature exceeds 30Ã, Â ° C (86Ã, Â ° F) , turtles will not feed. In the fall, turtles stop looking for food when the temperature drops below the spring set point.
During the winter, hibernation turtles. In the north, the off season may be during October to March, while the southernmost population may not hibernate at all. When hibernating, the average body temperature of the turtle is painted 6Ã, Â ° C (43Ã, Â ° F) . The warm weather period brought turtles out of hibernation, and even in the north, individuals had been seen sunning in February.
The hibernang paint by burying themselves, either at the bottom of the waters, near the water by the beach or the civet pit, or in the forest or pasture. When hibernating underwater, turtles prefer shallow depths, no more than 2 m (7 ft) . Inside the mud, it can excavate additional 1 m (3Ã, ft) . In this situation, the tortoise is not breathing, although if the environment allows, it can get oxygen through its skin. This species is one of the best-studied vertebrates that can survive long without oxygen. The chemical adaptation of his blood, brain, heart, and especially his shell allows the tortoise to survive in extreme lactic acid accumulation, while lacking oxygen.
Movement
Looking for water, food, or couples, painted turtles travel up to several kilometers each time. During the summer, in response to heat and water clogging, the turtles may empty the shallow swamp for more permanent waters. Short land migration may involve hundreds of turtles together. If the heat and drought are prolonged, the turtles will bury themselves and, in extreme cases, die.
Look for turtles often cross the lake or take a trip down the creek. Daily crossings from large pools have been observed. Tag and release studies show that sex also encourages the movement of turtles. Men travel the most, up to 26 km (16 million), between catches; the second most recent female, up to 8 km (5 mi), between catches; and teens at least, less than 2 km (1.2 million), between catches. Men move the most and most likely change the wetlands because they are looking for a partner.
Turtle painted, through visual recognition, has homing ability. Many people can return to their point of collection after being freed elsewhere, a journey that may require them to cross the mainland. One trial placed 98 turtles several kilometers from their home wetlands; 41 is returned. While living in one large body of water, painted turtles can go home from a distance of up to 6 km (4 mi). Women can use homing to help find suitable nesting sites.
Distribution
Range
The largest North American turtles, painted turtles are the only tortoises whose ranges are from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It comes from eight Canadian provinces, forty-five out of fifty United States, and one in thirty-one Mexican states. On the East Coast, he lives from the Canadian Maritimes to the US state of Georgia. On the West Coast, he lives in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon and offshore southeast of Vancouver Island. The northernmost American turtle, its reach covers most of southern Canada. To the south, its reach reaches the US Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Alabama. In the southwestern United States there are only scattered populations. It is found in one river in extreme northern Mexico. It is not in southwest Virginia and neighboring countries as well as in north-central Alabama.
The border between the four subspecies is not sharp, because the subspecies interbreed. Much research has been done in the border area to assess the intermediate tortoises, usually by comparing the hybrid anatomical features resulting from the intergradation of classic subspecies. Despite the inaccuracy, subspecies are given a nominal range.
East painted turtle
The eastern painted turtles range from southeastern Canada to Georgia with the western boundary around Appalachian. In the northern extreme, turtles tend to be confined to warmer areas closer to the Atlantic Ocean. It's rare in northern New Hampshire and in Maine is just common on the strip about 50 miles from the beach. In Canada, he lives in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia but not in Quebec or Prince Edward Island. In the south is not found in the lowlands of southern coastal South Carolina, South Carolina, or Georgia, or in southern Georgia in general or in Florida.
The range of eastern subspecies extends slightly into eastern central Alabama, where intergrades with the southern subspecies. In the northeast, there is extensive mixing with subspecies on land, and some authors refer to these turtles as "hybrid hybrids". In the southeast, the border between the east and the middle is sharper because the mountain chains separate the subspecies into various drainage basins.
Turtle painted in the middle
The life of a turtle painted in the middle of southern Ontario and Quebec, through the northwestern US states, to Kentucky, Tennessee, and northwestern Alabama, where it is integrated with southern painted turtles. It is also found to the east through West Virginia, western Maryland and Pennsylvania. The turtles painted on the central plains seem to move east, especially in Pennsylvania. To the northeast it is found in western New York and much of Vermont, and intergrades extensively with eastern subspecies.
South painted turtle
The turtles painted south range from the extreme southern Illinois and Missouri, roughly along the Mississippi River Valley, to the south. In Arkansas, it spreads westward to Texas, where it is found in the state's northeastern (Caddo Lake region) as well as extreme southeastern Oklahoma (McCurtain County). It is found in most of Louisiana, where it reaches the Gulf of Mexico (in fresh water). To the east it is found in western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and many Alabama, including the Gulf Coast Mobile city. A remote population in central Texas has been reported but is now believed to be non-indigenous.
West painting turtle
The northern ranges of western painted turtles include the southern part of western Canada from Ontario via Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. In Ontario, the western subspecies are found in northern Minnesota and just north of Lake Superior, but there is a distance of 130 km (80 mi) east of Lake Superior (in the harshest winter climatic area) where no subspecies tortoises occur. Thus the subspecies of western Ontario do not interconnect with the tortoises in the middle of southeastern Ontario. In Manitoba, many turtles and ranges north to Lake Manitoba and the bottom of Lake Winnipeg. The turtle is also common in southern Saskatchewan, but in Alberta, there may be only 100 individuals, all found very close to the US border, mostly in the southeast.
In British Columbia, the population is inland around the river valleys of Kootenai, Columbia, Okanagan, and Thompson. On the beach, turtles occur near Fraser's mouth and a little further north, as well as the lower parts of Vancouver Island, and several other nearby islands. In British Columbia, the range of tortoises is not continuous and better understood as extending northward from the range of the United States. The high mountains present obstacles to the east-west turtle movement within the province or from Alberta. Some literature shows isolated populations far more north in British Columbia and Alberta, but this is probably a pet's release.
In the United States, the western subspecies form an extensive intercontinental area with subspecies of the central plains covering most of Illinois as well as Wisconsin pathways along Lake Michigan and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP). Further west, the rest of Illinois, Wisconsin and the UP are part of the proper range, like all Minnesota and Iowa, as well as all Missouri except the narrow lane to the south. All of North Dakota is within reach, all South Dakota except a very small area to the west, and all of Nebraska. Almost all Kansas territory is within reach; The state's border with Oklahoma is roughly the range of species ranges, but turtles are found in three districts north of central Oklahoma.
To the northwest, almost all Montana is within reach. Just a narrow strip in the west, along most of the Idaho border (which is on the Continental Divide) does not have a turtle. Wyoming is almost completely out of reach; only lowland areas near the east and north borders are painted turtles. In Idaho, turtles are found all over the northern edge (the upper half of the Idaho Panhandle). Recently, separate Idaho populations have been observed in the southwest (near the Payette and Boise rivers) and southeast (near St. Anthony's). In the state of Washington, tortoises are common throughout the state of low-elevation river basins. In Oregon, the turtle comes from the northern part of the state along the Columbia River Valley and Willamette River Valley in northern Salem.
To the southwest, the range of painted turtles is fragmented. In Colorado, while a continuous range in the east, grasslands, half of the country, it does not exist in most of the western, mountainous, country. However, this tortoise is confirmed to be present in the lower lower southwest part of the state (Archuleta and La Plata counties), where the population revolves to northern New Mexico in the San Juan River valley. In New Mexico, major distributions follow the Rio Grande and Pecos River, two waterways flowing north-south through the state. In these rivers, it is also found in the northern Far West Texas. In Utah, painted turtles live in the southern region (Kane County) on a river that flows into the Colorado River, although it's debatable if they're genuine. In Arizona, the painted turtle comes from the east, Lyman Lake. The painted turtles are not native to Nevada or California.
In Mexico, painted turtles are found about 50 miles south of New Mexico near Galeana in the state of Chihuahua. There, two expeditions found a turtle in Rio Santa Maria in a closed basin.
Range introduced by human
Pet releases begin to form turtles that are painted outside the area of ​​origin. It has been introduced to waters near Phoenix, Arizona, and to Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Spain.
Habitat
To flourish, painted turtles need fresh water with soft buttocks, sundeck, and water plants. They found their homes in shallow waters with slow-moving currents, such as creeks, swamps, ponds, and lakeside banks. Subspecies have evolved different habitat preferences.
- Eastern turtle painted is very aquatic, leaving its water bodies only when forced by drought to migrate. Along the Atlantic, painted turtles have appeared in brackish waters.
- The midland and southern painted turtles are looking for very calm waters, usually beaches and coves. They favor shallow vegetation-laden vegetation and have unusual pollution tolerance.
- The painted western turtle lives in rivers and lakes, similar to other painting turtles, but also inhabit the grazing pool and swimming pool by the side of the road. Found as high as 1,800 m (5,900 ft).
Population features
In many of its reaches, painted turtles are the most abundant species of turtles. Population densities range from 10 to 840 turtles per hectare (2.5 hectares) from the water surface. Warmer climate produces higher relative density among populations, and habitat demand also affects density. Large rivers and lakes have lower densities because only the coast is the preferred habitat; center, waters in the forecast of surface-based approximations. In addition, turtles of lakes and rivers must travel longer to access the equivalent amount of food space.
Adults are more than teenagers in most populations, but measuring difficult ratios because adolescents are harder to catch; with the current sampling method, the approximate distribution of age varies greatly. The annual survival rate of painted turtles increases with age. The probability of a painting turtle surviving from eggs until its first birthday is only 19%. For females, the annual survival rate increased to 45% for adolescents and 95% for adults. The survival rate of males follows a similar pattern, but is lower overall than for women, creating a lower average male age than females. Natural disasters can disrupt the age distribution. For example, hurricanes can destroy many nests in a region, resulting in less hatching in the following year. Age distribution may also be affected by adult migration.
To understand adult turtle age distribution, researchers need a reliable method. Turtles younger than four years (up to 12 years in some populations) may age based on a "growth ring" in their shells. For older turtles, several attempts have been made to determine the age by size and shape of their shell or foot using mathematical models, but this method is more uncertain. The most reliable method for studying long-lived turtles is catching them, permanently marking their shells by sounding drill, releasing the tortoise, and then catching it back in the following years. The longest running study, in Michigan, has shown that painted turtles can live for more than 55 years.
The adult gender ratio of the painted turtle population averages about 1: 1. Many populations are slightly male, but some are very balanced; one population in Ontario has a female and male ratio of 4: 1. The ratio of hatchlings varies by egg temperature. During the middle third of the incubation, the temperature of 23-27 Â ° C (73-81 Â ° F) produces the male, and anything above or below it, the female. It does not appear that females choose nesting sites to influence the sex of the hatchlings; in a population, the nest will vary sufficiently to provide the male and female-heavy parent.
Taxonomy and evolution
The painted turtle ( C. picta ) is the only species in the genus Chrysemys . The parents' family for Chrysemys is Emydidae: a swimming turtle. Emydidae is divided into two sub families; Chrysemys is part of the branch of Deirochelyinae (Western Hemisphere). The four subspecies of the painted turtle are east ( C.Ã,p.Ã, picta ), midland ( C.Ã, p.Ã, marginata < , and south ( C.Ã, p.Ã, dorsalis ), and west ( C.Ã, p.Ã, bellii ).
The generic name of the painted turtle comes from the Ancient Greek word for "gold" ( chryso ) and "freshwater turtle" ( Classification
Originally described in 1783 by Johann Gottlob Schneider as Testudo picta, painted turtles are called Chrysemys picta by John Edward Gray in 1855. The four subspecies were later recognized: east by Schneider in 1783, west by Gray in 1831, and central and south by Louis Agassiz in 1857.
Until the 1930s many subspecies of painted turtles were labeled by biologists as full species in Chrysemys, but these varied by researchers. Sea turtles painted in the border area between their western and central subspecies are sometimes regarded as full species, treleasei . In 1931, Bishop and Schmidt defined the "four in one" taxonomy of current species and subspecies. Based on the comparative measurements of turtles from all ranges, they subdivide the species into subspecies and eliminate treleasei .
Since at least 1958, subspecies have been considered to have evolved in response to geographical isolation during the last ice age, 100,000 to 11,000 years ago. At that time the painted turtles were divided into three different populations: the east painting tortoises along the southeastern Atlantic coast; tortoises paint south around the southern Mississippi River; and turtles painted west in the southwest United States. The population is not completely isolated for long enough, then completely different species have never evolved. When the glaciers retreated, about 11,000 years ago, the three subspecies moved north. The western and southern subspecies meet in Missouri and hybridize to produce painted turtles in the central plains, which then move east and north through the valleys of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers.
Biologists have long debated the genera of the nearby sub-families of Chrysemys, Pseudemys, and Trachemys (sliders). After 1952, some combined Pseudemys and Chrysemys due to similar appearances. In 1964, based on the measurements of the skull and foot, Samuel B. McDowell proposed the three genera to be combined into one. However, further measurements, in 1967, contradicted this taxonomic arrangement. Also in 1967, J. Alan Holman, a paleontologist and herpetologist, pointed out that, although the three turtles are often found together in nature and have the same mating pattern, they do not interbreed. In the 1980s, studies on the structure of turtle, biochemistry, and parasite cells further indicate that Chrysemys, Pseudemys, and Trachemys must remain in separate genera..
David E. Starkey and collaborators advanced a new view of the subspecies in 2003. Based on studies of mitochondrial DNA, they reject the theory of glacial development and argue that the southern tortoises should be upgraded to separate species, C. dorsalis , while the other subspecies must be collapsed into one and undifferentiated. However, this proposition is largely unrecognized because successful breeding among all subspecies is documented wherever they overlap. However, in 2010, the IUCN recognized both C dorsalis and CÃ, dorsalis as a valid name for southern painted turtles.
Fossils
Although its evolutionary history - what pioneers for the species and how close relatives branched - is not well understood, painted turtles are common in the fossil record. The oldest sample, found in Nebraska, dates from about 15 million years ago. Fossils from 15 million to 5 million years ago were limited to the Nebraska-Kansas area, but newer fossils gradually distributed more. Fossils that are newer than 300,000 years are found in almost all the United States and southern Canada.
DNA
The turtle carnotype (nuclear DNA, not mitochondrial DNA) consists of 50 chromosomes, an amount equal to the rest of the subfamily counterparts and the most common number for the Emydidae turtle in general. The less favorable turtle has 26 to 66 chromosomes. A little systematic study of carotype variations of painted turtles among populations has been done. (However, in 1967, research on protein offshore island population structures in New England, showed differences from terrestrial turtles.)
Comparison of subspecies chromosome DNA has been discussed, to help address the debate about Starkey's proposed taxonomy, but in 2009 has not been reported. Interestingly, the complete sequence of genetic codes for painted turtles was in a "design assembled" state in 2010. Turtles are one of two reptiles selected to be sorted first.
Interaction with humans
Preservation
This species is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN but the population has declined locally.
The decline in the painted turtle population is not a simple problem of dramatic distance reduction, as is the case with American bison. In contrast, turtles are classified as G5 (widespread) in their Natural Heritage Rankings, and IUCN considers it the least noticeable species. The high rate of turtle reproduction and its ability to survive in contaminated wetlands and artificial ponds has enabled it to maintain its reach, but North American post-Columbus settlement has reduced the number.
Only within the Northwest Pacific region, the range of turtles is eroding. Even there, in Washington, painted turtles are marked S5 (proven to be vast). However, in Oregon, the painted turtles are set to S2 (threatened), and in British Columbia, turtle populations in the Coastal and Inland areas are labeled "threatened" and "special attention", respectively.
Much is written about the various factors that threaten the painted turtles, but they are uninhabited, with only the conclusions of relative importance. The main threat category is habitat loss in various forms. Associated with aquatic habitats, there is wetland drainage, aquatic or rock log clearance (sundeck sites), and coastal vegetation clearance, allowing more predators access or increased pedestrian traffic. Associated with nesting habitat, urbanization or planting can eliminate the need for bright soil.
Another important human impact is the killing of the streets - dead turtles, especially women, usually seen on summer roads. In addition to direct killing, the road genetically isolates some populations. Locality has tried to restrict roadkills by building underpasses, roadblocks, and intersections. Oregon has introduced a public education on turtle awareness, swerves, and helps turtles across the street.
In the West, human-introduced bass, bullfrogs, and especially snapping turtles, have increased the predation of the hatchling. Outside the Southeast, where the sliders are genuine, the red-eyed turtle breeds are increasingly competing with painted turtles. In cities, rising urban predators (raccoons, canines, and cats) can affect painted turtles by eating their eggs.
Other disturbing factors for painted turtles include over-collection of released wildlife, introducing disease or reducing genetic diversity, pollution, boating traffic, fishing hooks (tortoises are noteworthy bait thieves), shootings naughty, and destruction by agricultural machinery. or golf course lawn mower or all-terrain vehicle. Gervais and his colleagues note that the study itself affects the population and that many of the turtle-funded trap jobs have not been published. They advocate more discrimination on what studies are done, thus putting fewer tortoises into the traps of scientists. Global warming poses an un-characterized future threat.
As the most common tortoise in Nova Scotia, Eastern-painted turtles are not listed under the Species at Risk Act for conservation requirements.
Pets and other uses
According to a trade data study, painted turtles were the second most popular pet tortoise after a red-eared slider in the early 1990s. In 2010, most US states allow, but preventing, painted pet painted turtles, although Oregon forbids them as pets, and Indiana bans their sales. US federal law prohibits the sale or delivery of any turtle less than 10 cm (4 inches), to limit human contact with salmonella. However, the gap for scientific samples allows some small turtles to be sold, and illegal trade also takes place.
The painted pet's maintenance requirements are similar to those of red-eared sliders. Guards are urged to give them enough space and sundeck, and water that is regularly filtered and changed. According to Petco, the animals are described as unsuitable for children because they do not like to be cuddled. The hobbies have been making tortoises live for decades.
Painted turtles are sometimes eaten but not regarded as food, because even the largest subspecies, western painted turtles, are small and large turtles that are not available. Schools often dissect painted turtles, sold by biological suppliers; specimens often come from the wild but may be bred. In the Midwest, popular turtle races are in summer fairs.
Capture
The commercial harvesting of turtles painted in the wild is controversial and increasingly limited. Wisconsin used to have an unbound turtle trap but based on qualitative observations banning all commercial harvesting in 1997. Minnesota's neighbors, where traps collected more than 300,000 painted turtles during the 1990s, commissioned research on turtle harvest which is painted. The scientists found that the harvested lakes averaged half the density of turtles painted from lakes out of bounds, and population modeling suggested that unlimited harvesting could result in large reductions in turtle populations. In response, Minnesota banned new harvesters in 2002 and limited the number of traps. Although the harvest continues, it then takes an average of half of the 1990s. In 2009, painted turtles face unlimited harvesting in Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma; since then, Missouri forbade their harvest.
The guys who trap the painted turtles usually do it for extra income, selling several thousand dollars each year, $ 1-2 each. Many trappers have been involved in this trade for generations, and consider it a family activity. Some harvesters disagree with the catch restrictions, saying the population is not decreasing.
Many US state game and fish departments allow the non-commercial turtle retrieval below the creel boundary, and require a fishing license (sometimes hunting); others actually prohibit the capture of recreation of painted turtles. Traps are not allowed in Oregon, where turtle populations are painted westerners are declining, and in Missouri, where there are populations of the southern and western subspecies. In Canada, Ontario protects both existing subspecies, in the middle and west, and British Columbia protects the western painted turtles.
The Capture method is also governed by locality. Usually trappers use "sunbed traps" or "hoop traps" are partially submerged. Trap notions, commercial notes and scientific research show that trap traps are more effective at collecting painted turtles, while circle traps work better to collect "turtle meat" (spying on turtles and soft-shell turtles). Nets, catching hands, and fishing with set lines are generally legal, but firing, chemicals, and explosives are prohibited.
Culture
Indian tribes are familiar with painted turtles - young courage is trained to recognize their sparks into the water as alarms - and put them into folklore. The Potawatomi myth describes how the talking tortoises, the "painted turtles" and the "Snapping Turtle" and "Turtle Box" allies, outwit the village women. Painted Turtle is the star of the legend and uses his trademark signals to trick a woman into holding her so she can bite her. An Illini myth tells how Painted Turtle put his paint to pull a princess of a tribe into the water.
In 2010, four US states assigned turtles painted as official reptiles. Vermont honored reptiles in 1994, following advice from Cornwall Primary School students. In 1995, Michigan followed, on the recommendation of Niles, a fifth grader, who found that the country lacked official reptiles. Illinois residents, in 2004, opted to choose painted turtles as their country's reptiles and legislatures made it official in 2005. Colorado chose the western painted turtle in 2008, following the effort of the next two years of fourth-grade Jay Biachi class. In New York, the painted turtle was narrowly defeated (5,048 to 5,055, compared to the general blind tortoise) in the 2006 election of students in the state for state reptiles.
In the border town of Boissevain, Manitoba, a western tortoise weighing 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg), Tommy the Turtle , is a roadside attraction. The statue was built in 1974 to celebrate the Canadian Turtle Turtle, a festival including a turtle race that lasted from 1972-2001.
Another Canadian admirer of the painted turtle is Jon Montgomery, who won the 2010 Olympic gold in a skeleton race, while wearing a painted turtle painted on the crown of his helmet, clearly visible as he slid down the hill. Montgomery, who also iconically clamped his chest with maple leaves, explained his visual promotion of the turtle, saying that he had helped someone cross the street. BC Hydro refers to Montgomery's actions when describing his own sponsor of conservation research for turtles in British Columbia.
Some private entities use turtles that are painted as symbols. Wayne State University Press operates the track "named after the state reptiles of Michigan" which "publishes books on regional topics on cultural and historical interest". In California, The Painted Turtle is a camp for sick children, founded by Paul Newman. Painted Turtle Winery of British Columbia trades on a "casual and relaxing lifestyle" of turtles with a "job description basking in the sun". Also, there is an Internet company in Michigan, a guesthouse in British Columbia, and a cafà ©  © in Maine that uses commercially painted turtles.
In children's books, painted turtles are a popular subject, with at least seven books published between 2000 and 2010.
Notes and references
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Bibliography
External links
- Missouri Department of Conservation video of the southern painted turtle (click video links): Notice the red line discussion above the shell.
- See a preview of the turtle genome Painted in Ensembl.
- View genetic assemblies chrPic1 in the UCSC Genome Browser.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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