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Are you curious about water turtles or are you thinking of taking one into your home? Then, surely you have realized that there is an immense variety of these and that if they are not minimally known, it is very difficult to differentiate some of them, and sometimes it is even impossible. In Green Ecologist we want to give you this knowledge with this article about names of species of freshwater turtles, showing a list, its characteristics and photos.
Although many of them have been popular pets, leaving aside the fact that they are animals that of course live better in nature, we must be careful who we approach and choose to have at home, some are very dangerous because of their bite! To begin, in the main image we can see a red-eared or Florida turtle on the top left, a Ramsay or pig-nosed turtle on the top right, a Cumberland turtle bottom left and a Cumberland turtle bottom right. alligator or alligator.
Red eared turtle
Perhaps it is the freshwater turtle, although it is semi-aquatic, better known because many years ago it was the most popular pet among reptiles. However, the red-eared or Florida slider is a Invasive species in many places, like in Spain. They were introduced as companion animals and then when they grew up they were abandoned, causing them to spread over much of the territory, harming the native fauna by leaving it without food and space, as they compete to survive and Florida tortoises are very resistant. For this reason, in Spain its sale was prohibited for several years. You can consult more details in this other article by Green Ecologist about Florida turtles prohibited in Spain.
Its scientific name is Trachemys scripta elegans, lives in Mexico and the United States. They measure up to 30 cm in length, are green with slight yellow markings and the most distinctive part that gives them their name are two red marks on the sides of the head, as if they were his ears. The females are larger than the males, as in most species of turtles.
Yellow eared turtle
Another of the best known tortoises that have been kept at home for decades are the yellow eared turtles or Trachemys scripta scripta, that they are very close relatives of the previous ones. They also come from the US and Mexico. For the same reasons, if they are abandoned in the wild in countries other than those of their origin, they become an invasive species, although they are somewhat less invasive than those with red ears.
Have yellow stripes in the neck, the head and the lower part of the carapace, the belly area. They are also about 12 inches tall but are a shade more brown than Florida ones.
Ramsay's tortoise
This is also called papuan loggerhead turtle, pig nosed turtle or by its scientific name: Carettochelys insculpta. Its origin is in Australia and New Guinea.
It is one of the softshell turtles best known and that live in fresh water, since they only come ashore to lay eggs, they do not even do so to feed. In addition, the shape of his neck and head is striking. It has a very long neck, which it hides at ease like most of these animals, and its head is triangular with more frontal eyes than usual in an animal of this type and a nose with round and large nostrils, hence its common name of "pig-nosed turtle". It is a large species, as it can reach 60 cm long and weigh up to 25 kg.
Cumberland tortoise
Call Trachemys scripta troosti, this is a species that comes from the United States. It has a carapace with a very marked green hue and darker, almost black, and yellow lines. It is smaller in size than the previous ones, as it can measure at most a little more than 20 cm long.
It is omnivorous, like the previous ones, so it eats algae as well as fish, crabs, mollusks, insects and tadpoles. It is semi-aquatic, since it sometimes comes out to sunbathe and feed, although the latter does more in fresh water.
Spotted turtle
As its common name suggests, the Clemmys guttata, it is a species of fresh water that has the shell and the skin mottled or small yellow spots, which are in stark contrast to its dark green or even bluish undertone.
They are semi-aquatic and can measure up to 12 cm in length, with the females being larger than the males. They are also omnivorous tortoises that come from the US, but they also live naturally in Canada. Sadly, this species is threatened, since in recent years it has lost a lot of habitat and has been taken from the wild to be sold as a pet.
Learn more about endangered turtles in this other Green Ecologist article.
Common stink turtle
Also called musk turtle keel, bulbous turtle or with its scientific name Sternotherus carinatus, It is also native to the US They are one of the smallest freshwater turtles, as they measure a maximum of 15 cm long. They are more aquatic than other of the previous views, since they only go ashore to lay their eggs.
They are light brown in color with dark brown markings and their shell gives them the name of a bulb since it is more domed than that of most of these animals. The other curious common name that is given, "stinky", is because when they feel threatened they expel a discharge with a strong, foul odor.
Dangerous freshwater turtle species
Although any of the previous turtles can bite us, either for defense if they are scared or to feed themselves if they are hungry because there are carnivorous and omnivorous ones, the following ones are the most dangerous species of freshwater turtles:
Matamata turtle
Is named Chelus fimbriata and it lives in the Amazon, so it lives with piranhas, on which it sometimes feeds. It has a curious appearance as well as something terrifying, as it is full of spikes both on the shell and on the neck and has a curious long and thin nose, with which it manages to breathe the air better without leaving its hiding place under water. This is a perfect technique for hunting land animals that come to drink at the river. It is one of the turtles with the strongest bite.
Alligator or alligator turtle
It is considered the turtle with the most powerful bite, in fact its name can give us an idea, and it has a hard beak and very strong jaw muscles. In addition to taking into account its terrifying appearance for looking like an alligator with a shell and skin full of tips, although they do not prick, it is one of the bigger turtles, as it can weigh about 100 kg and reach more than half a meter. It can live for more than 1 century and although they do not feed on people, if we disturb them they can easily tear off our fingers or even hands and feet, depending on the size of the animal.
Loggerhead turtle
Also known as macrocephalic tortoise (Platysternon megacephalum), is one of the most dangerous because they have a very strong jaw and a larger head than usual for their body size. They also have a curious and long tail, like the previous ones. They do not attack people for food, but if they have to defend themselves they can injure us very seriously and even break bones. Sometimes they use their jaws to better climb branches and trunks on the banks and with them they catch any prey, and even hunt birds that come to drink the river.
American snapping turtle
Finally, the name of this species gives a clear idea of the power of its jaws, but it also receives more common names such as satan tortoise, bull tortoise, talaman, lizard tortoise, bache, sambunango and its scientific name is Serpentine chelydra. It is smaller than the first two on this dangerous species list, but has strong jaws, legs, and tail.
As we have seen, all these dangerous turtles have a behavior similar to that of coveting them or alligators. In the image below we can see in the first part of the top an alligator or alligator turtle, in the upper right a matamata turtle, in the lower left a loggerhead turtle and in the lower right a snapping or bull turtle.
If you want to read more articles similar to Freshwater turtle species names, we recommend that you enter our Wild Animals category.
