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The midland and southern painted turtles seek especially quiet waters, usually shores and coves. They favor shallows that contain dense vegetation and have an unusual toleration of pollution. [103] [104] The western painted turtle lives in streams and lakes, similar to the other painted turtles, but also inhabits pasture ponds and roadside ...
The painted wood turtle feeds on fruit, insects, and worms. Their diet should consist of 60% leafy greens, 30% protein, and 20% fruits and vegetables. Along with a varied diet, they require additional calcium to insure healthy shell growth. Unlike aquatic turtles, the painted wood turtle doesn't require water in order to swallow its food.
The carapace of the turtle has various color patterns that change over time. Hatchlings of Chelonia mydas, like those of other marine turtles, have mostly black carapaces and light-colored plastrons. Carapaces of juveniles turn dark brown to olive, while those of mature adults are either entirely brown, spotted or marbled with variegated rays.
The southern painted turtle ranges from extreme southern Illinois and Missouri, roughly along the Mississippi River Valley, to the south. In Arkansas, it branches out to the west towards Texas, where it is found in the far northeast part of that state (Caddo Lake region) [13] as well as extreme southeastern Oklahoma (McCurtain County). [14]
Turtle skulls vary in shape, from the long and narrow skulls of softshells to the broad and flattened skull of the mata mata. [25] Some turtle species have developed large and thick heads, allowing for greater muscle mass and stronger bites. [26] Turtles that are carnivorous or durophagous (eating hard-shelled animals) have the most powerful bites.
Loggerhead sea turtles were once intensively hunted for their meat and eggs; consumption has decreased, however, due to worldwide legislation. Despite this, turtle meat and eggs are still consumed in countries where regulations are not strictly enforced. [86] In Mexico, turtle eggs are a common meal; locals claim the egg is an aphrodisiac. [87]
Eastern box turtles have a high, domelike carapace and a hinged plastron that allows total shell closure. Their shell has a middorsal keel that smooths out with age. [5] The carapace can be of variable coloration but is normally brownish or black and accompanied by a yellowish or orangish radiating pattern of lines, spots, or blotches.
Turtles have to find the ocean by themselves and on their journey from land to sea, they encounter a lot of plastic. Some even get trapped in the plastic and die from lack of resources and from the sun being too hot. Sea turtles eat plastic bags [152] because they confuse them with their actual diet, jellyfish, algae and other components. The ...