Brazilian snake-necked turtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brazilian snake-necked turtle |
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| Conservation status | |
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Hydromedusa
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| Species: |
maximiliani
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The Brazilian snake-necked turtle (Hydromedusa maximiliani), also known as cágado da serra or Maximilian's snake-necked turtle, is a special kind of turtle. It belongs to the family called Chelidae. This turtle is found only in southeastern Brazil. It's one of the smallest freshwater turtles in Brazil, growing up to about 20 cm (7.9 in) long. These turtles love clear, cool streams with sandy or rocky bottoms, usually in forests high up in the mountains.
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What's in a Name?
The scientific name, maximiliani, honors a German explorer and naturalist. His name was Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied.
How Scientists Classified This Turtle
This turtle was first described in 1825 by a scientist named Johann Christian Mikan. He called it Emys maximiliani. Later, in 1830, another scientist named Johann Georg Wagler moved it to the group (genus) called Hydromedusa. Over time, other turtles that scientists thought were new species turned out to be the same as this one. There are no different types (subspecies) of this turtle recognized today.
What Does It Look Like?
The Brazilian snake-necked turtle is a small turtle. Its shell, called a carapace, can be between 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long. It usually weighs from 120–520 g (4.2–18.3 oz). The top shell is oval and can be dark gray, dark brown, or light brown. The bottom shell, called the plastron, is yellow or cream-colored.
This turtle has a medium-sized head with a small nose area. Its jaws are yellowish, and it doesn't have any whiskers (barbels) on its chin. Its eyes have black centers (irises). The top of its head, neck, and legs are olive green to gray. The underside of its body is a lighter cream color.
Where Does It Live?
The Brazilian snake-necked turtle lives only in southeastern Brazil. You can find it in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. It lives in the mountainous areas of the Atlantic rainforest. Generally, these turtles are found in mountain streams that are above 600 m (2,000 ft) in elevation.
They prefer shallow streams, usually 15 to 100 cm (6–39 in) deep. The water is clear and cold, and the bottom is sandy or rocky. Because the forest trees grow so close together, not much sunlight reaches the streams. This means the turtles can only sunbathe in small open spots along the water.
Protecting This Turtle
Some groups of Brazilian snake-necked turtles live inside protected areas. This helps keep them safe from things like trees being cut down (deforestation) and water pollution. These are big dangers to the turtles. In places outside these protected areas, the turtle groups might be getting separated from each other. This could make them more vulnerable in the future.
