Ratite Turtle
Chinese name: ratite
Other names: eagle-billed turtle, big-headed turtle, big-headed ratite, eagle-billed dragon-tailed fish, three-nothing image, parrot turtle
: Animalia
Family: Ratiteidae
Genus: Ratite
Species: Ratite
Dispersed area: Northern Southeast Asia and south; mountain streams.
Named celebrity, time: Gray, 1831
Personality
Economic value: edible, medicinal, medicinal, cultivated green Maogui earns foreign exchange through domestic sales, etc.
Morphological characteristics: The head is large and triangular in shape, and the back of the head is covered with a large horny hard shell. The upper beak is hooked in the shape of an olecranon, the eyes are large, and there is no saturated external ear membrane. The carapace is brown, oblong and flat in the center, with no teeth on the front and rear edges. The plastron is olive-colored, small and flat. The dorsal and plastronal carapace is connected by a tough band and has lower edge angular plates. The hands and feet are gray with tile-like scales, and the hind limbs are long. The outer fingers and toes have sharp long claws, and there are semi-webs between the fingers and toes, which are not only convenient for crawling on the mainland, but also convenient for swimming in the water.
The tail is long, each exceeding the length of its own carapace, and the tail is covered with short annular scales. This turtle's head, hands and feet cannot be retracted into the plastron, making it one of the more unique turtles known in China.
Identification of males and females: The carapace on the abdomen of the male ratite turtle is relatively long, the middle of the flat chest is slightly concave, the tail is thick, and the cloacal hole is far away from the edge of the rear part of the plastron, about 2.5 cm from the tail base. . The center of the female's chest is very flat and not concave, and the body is very wide. The anus is closer to the edge of the abdomen, about 1.5 cm from the base of the tail.
Situation
Ratite turtles live in Southeast Asia. The most southwesterly one comes from Myanmar, and the most northeastern one comes from southern China.
On these occasions, the basic resting state of ratite turtles remains normal. It likes to live in mountain streams filled with boulders and gravel and with fast currents. Even though ratite turtles live in a country that most people consider to be hot, the water temperatures in the mountain streams where these turtles rest can be as low as 53°F (12°C) and often no higher than 72°F (23°C). °).
Living habits: It is amphibious, mainly living in water, and generally lives in the grass of streams, lakes and swamps. Because it has sharp claws and a powerful tail, it can easily climb over obstacles and can also climb trees to catch small birds. It is very aggressive. When the weather gets warmer in March and April, they start to look for food and go into heat. Their appetite is strongest from May to September. In late autumn and early winter, they burrow into the sand, grass or hide underwater. The wild ratite turtle
The turtle mainly forages for snails, clams, shells, shrimps, fish, crabs, frogs, insects and snails. It also eats leaves, grass and roots when hungry. Under the premise of artificial feeding, they can be fed with animal feed, snails, frogs, fish and shrimp meat, bran, bean cakes, fruits or fruit peels, etc. The artificially raised ratite turtles begin to mature after three years and lay eggs from April to September. During the egg laying period, most of the eggs are laid in the mainland sand, and a small number are laid in the water.
Breeding equipment: Ratite turtles are violent in nature and move more at night. The breeding pond or breeding vessel should be based on its personality. The walls of the pond must be smooth on all sides, and the depth should be more than 3 times the length of the turtle's body. Prevent turtles from climbing and escaping.
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