eastern tortoise ( Terrapene carolina carolina ) is a subspecies in a group of turtles beruksuk, usually called a turtle box. T. c. carolina is a native of the eastern United States.
The eastern box turtle is a subspecies of the common box turtle ( Terrapene carolina ). While in the turtle family, the Emydidae, and not the turtles, the box tortoises are mostly terrestrial. Box tortoises are slow, very long, slow to adult, and have relatively few offspring per year. This characteristic, along with a tendency to get hit by cars and agricultural machinery, makes all species of box turtles highly susceptible to anthropogenic, or human-induced deaths.
In 2011, citing "continuous and sustained reductions of Terrapene carolina that may exceed 32% for three generations", IUCN lowered the conservation status of Near Threatened to Vulnerable.
Video Eastern box turtle
Description
The eastern box turtle has a high carapace, such as a dome and a hinged plastron that allows total closure of the shell. Karapaks may be of varying colors, but are usually found in brownish or black and are accompanied by a pattern of lines, spots or spots that are either yellowish or grayish in color. Skin color, like shell skin, varies, but is usually brown or black with some yellow, orange, red, or white or mottled spots. This color is very similar to the poplar tulip winter leaf. In some isolated populations, men may have blue spots on the cheeks, throat, and forelegs. In addition, men usually have red eyes (iris) while women usually display brown eyes. The eastern box tortoises have sharp and horned beaks, strong limbs, and their feet are webbed only at the base. The eastern box turtle has 5 toes on each front leg, and usually 4 toes on each hind leg, although some individuals may have 3 toes on each hind leg. The size remains small, most ranging from 4.5 to 6 inches, but sometimes reaches over 7 inches. In captivity, boxed turtles are known to live over 100 years, but in the wild, often live shorter lives due to disease and predation.
The eastern box turtle has many unique identification characteristics as part of the box tortoise group. While the female plastron is flat, it is hollowed in men so that men can fit on the back end of the female during mating. The front and back of the plastron are connected by a flexible hinge. When in danger, the turtle is able to close the plastron by pulling the hinged part tightly against the carapace, effectively sealing the soft body in the bone, thus forming a "box". The shell is made of bone that is covered by live vascular tissue and is covered with a layer of keratin. This shell is connected to the body through its wide ribs that make the shell permanently attached and can not be removed.
When injured or damaged, the shell has the capacity to regenerate and reform. The granular tissue slowly forms and keratin slowly grows under the damaged area to replace the damaged and lost debris. Over time, the damaged area falls, revealing the newly formed keratin underneath. Unlike water turtles like the native Eastern tortoises ( Chrysemys picta), the hawksbill box continues to grow throughout the life of the turtles and develops growth rings. Turtles usually drown them as they grow. Maps Eastern box turtle
Distribution and habitat
The eastern box turtle is found mainly in the eastern United States, as implied by its name. They occur as far north as southern Maine and southern and eastern parts of the Upper Peninsula Michigan, south to south Florida and west to east Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. In the northern part of their range, they are rarely found above 1,000 feet at altitude, while they can be found up to 6,000 feet in the southern part of their range. The eastern box turtle is considered rare in the Great Lakes region; However, the population can be found in areas not cleaved by frequent streets. In the Midwest, they are a Caring Species in Ohio, and Special Attention in Michigan and Indiana. The eastern box turtle prefers a forked or mixed forest area, with fairly damp moisture floors that have good drainage. Lowland forest is preferred over hillsides and mountains. They can also be found in open grasslands, pastures, or beneath fallen logs or in moist soils, usually moist leaves or wet dirt. They have also been known to take "baths" in shallow rivers and ponds or puddles, and during periods of heat can drown mud for days at a time. However, if placed in water that is too deep (completely submerged), they may drown.
Reproduction
Reproduction for east-eastern turtles can occur at any point throughout late spring, summer, and early fall, but egg laying is most likely to occur in May and June, when it rains frequently. Having found a partner (no pair-bonding, and mate-seeking mechanisms is not clear), which can be a difficult task in areas where couples are sparse, couples will initiate a 3-phase courtship event. After conception, the female finds the appropriate nesting site. The choice of nesting sites is crucial for egg development, because predation and temperature are the main problems. Temperature affects the sex of the offspring (Type I, depending on sex determination), developmental level, and possibly fitness. The female will use her hind legs to dig a shallow nest in loose soil; this process can take 2 to 6 hours. Eggs are generally stored shortly after the excavation phase, and each egg is deployed to a certain position. Egg is oval, 3 cm long, creamy white, and rough. The nest is then hidden with grass, leaves, or soil. A female can lay eggs ranging from 1 to 5 grips of about 1 to 9 eggs in a year, or even delay putting the clutch if resources are scarce. Women show delayed fertility, where sperm can be stored in the fallopian tubes for several years until favorable conditions for fertilization and laying. Incubation ranges widely depending on temperature, but on average 50 to 70 days.
Diet
The eastern turtle feeding habits vary greatly because of individual tastes, temperature, lighting, and the surrounding environment. Unlike warm-blooded animals, their metabolism does not encourage their appetite; on the contrary, they can only reduce their activity level, retreat to their shells, and stop their food intake until better conditions emerge.
In the wild, east turtle box is an opportunistic omnivore and will eat a variety of animals and vegetables. There are a variety of foods universally accepted by eastern turtle boxes, which include earthworms, snails, snails, maggots, beetles, caterpillars, grasses, fallen fruit, berries, mushrooms, flowers, duck grasses and carcasses. Studies at the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Maryland also show that east turtle boxes have eaten live birds trapped in nets. Often, they will eat food, especially in captivity, simply because it looks and smells edible, such as hamburgers or eggs, although the food may be dangerous or unhealthy. Box turtles are also known to have consumed poisonous mushrooms that make their meat unavailable to native American hunter gatherers. Anecdotal evidence suggests that boxed turtles are more carnivorous than their adult and adult sub-versions. There is no concrete evidence to support this theory.
In captivity
Thousands of box shells are collected from the wild every year for domestic pet trade, mainly from South Carolina, the only remaining country where they can be legally captured from the wild and sold for profit. Breeding tortoises may have a life span of as little as three days if they are not fed, watered, and stored in the right container. The color of living shells found in many eastern turtle boxes often fades when the turtles are brought into captivity. This has led to a false belief that the color fades with the age of the tortoise. The truth is that insufficient access to full sun causes the color on the keratin layer to fade. East box turtles are protected in most of their reach but many countries allow the capture and ownership of turtles for personal use. Captive captivity is fairly common, but not so much as it can supply market demand. Although boxed turtles can make strong captives if their needs are met, and are often kept as pets, they are not easily stored turtles, because of their many special requirements. East box turtles require high humidity, warm temperatures with vertical and horizontal thermal gradients, suitable substrate for excavation, and full spectrum ultraviolet light that resembles sunlight. A sunbathing area at one end of the cage is important to offer the turtle's ability to warm itself and is vital for sexually adult men and women for the development of eggs and eggs respectively.
Therefore, large and easily accessible water dishes for bathing and drinking are essential for their health. Water should be fresh and clean and available at all times. Because boxed turtles rarely get the nutrients needed to help shell growth and skeletal and skin development, they may also need vitamin supplements to keep them healthy like calcium, vitamin A, and folic acid. Breeding foods include a variety of live invertebrates such as crickets, worms, earthworms, maggots, beetles and larvae, cockroaches, small rodents and wild strawberries, and fish (not goldfish). Mixed fruit, fruit, romaine lettuce, collard green, dandelion green, chicory, mushrooms and clover are also suitable for boxed turtles. Although some wet and high-quality dog ​​food is sometimes offered, whole animals are preferred. Reptomin is a food suitable for hatchery and adult box turtles.
Country reptile
The eastern turtle is an official state reptile of two US states: North Carolina (which causes species and subspecies names carolina carolina ) and Tennessee. In Pennsylvania, east-eastern turtles successfully passed a legislative house, but failed to win the final naming in 2009. In Virginia, bills honoring east-eastern turtles failed in 1999 and then in 2009; The main reason is the creature's close relationship with North Carolina.
Gallery
References
External links
- Diet and Feed Your Box Tortoise
- Center for Conservation and Management of Reptiles and Amphibians
- East Boxes Turtle Information
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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