Types of Freshwater Turtle

To the turtles do not usually occupy the top of the list of animals pets, but there are people who are passionate about these reptiles all around the world.

If you are thinking of having a pet at home, before adopting a turtle it is important to know that there are different types to choose one that fits correctly to the conditions of the environment you intend insert it.

If you want to adopt a turtle or simply learn more about this universe, discover five types of freshwater turtle.

yellow eared turtle

Turtle Types – Yellow Ear Turtle

This tortoise hails from the region of Mexico and the United States and is named after the stripes on its body. The size of a female is on average 30 cm, the male is about 20 cm long.

She has diurnal habits, with a diet omnivorous formed by vegetables, fruits and small animals such as insects and snails. However, insects and fish predominate in the feeding of the offspring. With growth, they prefer vegetables.

spotted turtle

Types of Turtle – Spotted Turtle

The spotted turtle is natural in the United States, more precisely in the Northeast region of the country. O habitat nature is composed of swamps and calm rivers, with vegetation everywhere.

The size of this tortoise averages 12 cm, with a painted black or dark brown carapace. However, with age, the moles can disappear.

Males have brown eyes and females have orange eyes, in addition to being larger and with a short tail. Also, because it is semiaquatic, it can alternate between land and water.

pig nose turtle

Types of Turtle – Pig nose turtle

The species name is a clear reference to the resemblance to the nose of pigs. The carapace and plastron (located on the ventral part of the shell) are soft, leathery, and can reach 60 cm in length. Their flippers are anatomically suitable for swimming, being fast and efficient in the water, but making locomotion on land difficult.

They inhabit the region of Oceania in freshwater lakes and rivers, mangroves, marshes and brackish water estuaries and even the open sea. Most of the time, they are submerged in muddy bottoms between 1 and 3 meters deep.

In these environments, they hunt small fish, molluscs, insects, larvae and crustaceans. However, the main diet is herbivorous, composed of fruits, flowers and roots.

red-eared turtle

Types of Tortoise – Red-eared tortoise

The red-eared turtle gets its name from the red stripes on the sides of its head. Their size is on average 30 cm and they are native to North America.

The diet consists of vegetables, insects and small fish, living for about 30 years. In captivity, however, they are often wrongly fed lettuce, carrots, potatoes and some other leafy plants, which causes serious deformations. Properly cared for, they live an average of 40 years.

They usually live predominantly in fresh water, but go to dry rocks in order to warm up. Then dive in again.

cumberland tortoise

Types of Tortoise – Cumberland Tortoise

Native to the United States, mainly from the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, it can reach 21 cm. This turtle lives in swamps, lakes, streams and rivers with organic substrate.

Feeding is omnivorous, as it feeds on algae, fish, tadpoles or crayfish. In addition, when young, the diet prevails carnivorous.

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