Dahl's toad-headed turtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dahl's toad-headed turtle |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Mesoclemmys
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| Species: |
dahli
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| Synonyms | |
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The Dahl's toad-headed turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli) is a medium-sized freshwater turtle. It is a type of side-necked turtle. This means it bends its head sideways to tuck it into its shell. This turtle is critically endangered, which means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever. It lives only in northern Colombia. You can find it in small pools, streams, and swamps. When the weather gets very dry, it buries itself on land. This is called aestivation.
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What's in a Name?
The turtle's scientific name, dahli, honors George Dahl. He was a scientist from Sweden who studied fish in Colombia. He was the person who first found and collected this specific type of turtle.
How Does it Look?
The Dahl's toad-headed turtle has a shell that is olive green to brown. Its shell, called a carapace, is oval-shaped. It can grow up to about 23 centimeters (9 inches) long. The back edge of its shell is slightly jagged.
The shell is a bit flat on top. The edges along the sides are slightly turned up. Young turtles and some adults might have a small ridge on their shell.
The turtle's underside, called the plastron, is strong. It is cream or yellow with gray lines. The head is big and wide. It has a snout that sticks out a little. There are two small whiskers, called barbels, under its chin. The top of its head has small, uneven scales.
The head is gray to olive brown on top. Its upper jaw and sides are cream or yellow. The lower jaw and chin are yellow. The neck is gray on top and lighter underneath. Its legs and tail are gray or olive brown on the outside. They are lighter on the underside.
Male turtles have longer, thicker tails. Their heads are also narrower than females. Female turtles have heads that look wider behind their eyes.
Where Does it Live?
The Dahl's toad-headed turtle is found only in northern Colombia. It lives near the lower Magdalena River and Sinú River basins. These areas are in the Atlántico, Bolívar, Córdoba, and Sucre regions.
What is its Home Like?
Originally, these turtles lived in ponds and small streams within forests. But over time, many forests have been cleared. Now, the areas around where they live are often pastures.
These turtles seem to prefer shallow, calm water. They like to stay near the bottom. During dry seasons, they will bury themselves in the ground. This helps them survive until the water returns.
How Does it Reproduce?
Dahl's toad-headed turtles usually mate in June and July. They lay their eggs mainly in September and October. However, they can lay eggs throughout the year.
A female turtle can lay several groups of eggs. Each group, called a clutch, has one to six eggs. The eggs are white and oval-shaped. They are about 2.9 to 3.5 cm long and 2.3 to 2.8 cm wide. The shells are fragile. When the baby turtles hatch, their shells are about 2.8 to 3.0 cm long.
What Does it Eat?
The Dahl's toad-headed turtle mainly eats meat. It hunts for snails and insects that live in the water. It also eats other small creatures without backbones, like worms. Fish and amphibians are also part of its diet. Sometimes, it will eat dead animals it finds.
See also
In Spanish: Carranchina para niños
