Turtle Habitat Varies Widely Among The Various Species
Water Turtles And Land Turtles - Although the turtle habitat for those raised as pets may be much the same for most, though not all species, their habitat world wide varies drastically. To begin with, there are basically two types of turtles, land turtles and water turtles. The land turtles, found mostly in deserts and arid environments, cannot swim, will burrow in the earth for protection and to escape the heat, and their body shape allows them to store water for long periods of time. The water turtles quite naturally spend much of their time in the water and catch much or all of their food while swimming. Among the water turtles there are fresh water turtles and salt water turtles, and turtles who like a bit of both. Turtles are cold blooded creatures, and as such, are most at home in temperate to subtropical areas, although they will do fine in the tropics as long as there is shade and water to protect them. All turtles are egg layers. Some lay only a few eggs at a time, while others lay them in fairly large batches. Once the eggs are laid, the only protection they normally have is a few inches of sand or dirt. The mother does not watch over or guard the eggs. She simply wanders off. Newly hatched turtles have a whole host of real and potential predators to deal with, so much so that it's sometimes a wonder that any survive at all.
While land turtle habitat is for the most part dirt and vegetation, water turtle habitat is much more varied. Water turtles frequent ponds and slow moving streams, spending part of the time in the water, and part on dry land, or sunning themselves on rocks. Sea turtle habitat quite often consists of coastal waterways, salt water marshes, and shallow bays. For some sea turtles the open ocean is their habitat for long stretches. Some sea turtles stay relatively close to home, maybe venturing no more than several miles in any direction. Other sea turtles are trans-Atlantic swimmers, migrating from islands off the coast of Africa to the coastal waters of Brazil, while other sea turtles migrate thousands of miles in the Pacific. Their habitat is salt water and their food supply can be anything within reach and sufficiently small, with jellyfish being a favorite. On the shoreline, mollusks and an occasional unlucky fish provide dinner.
Species Distribution And Several Turtle Species - Of the 260 or so different species of turtles in the world, the greatest number live in tropical rain forests, scattered across the globe. The United States is home to several species of turtle, Europe surprisingly, has only 2 species. The largest turtle on the African continent is the African Spur Thigh turtle. The African Spur Thigh turtle habitat is primarily grasslands and savannahs, though they are commonly found in farming areas. The Thigh turtle is a strict vegetarian, eating mostly grasses, and spends much of its time beneath the ground in burrows, which it happily shares with a number of other animals. These turtles can weigh 60 pounds and up, with the largest recorded weighing in at 150 pounds. Only the species found in the Galapagos Islands are larger.
Another turtle preferring farming areas, open fields, and to some extent wooded areas, is the Easter Box turtle which is found in the Southeastern United States. Largely collected for the pet trade, the Eastern Box turtle's numbers have been declining in recent years. Part of the problem is that in the much of what would be considered natural box turtle habitat, there are roads, and a large number of the creatures are run over annually. Most of these fatalities are male turtles, who presumably will travel great distances, including on roadways, in search of females, who tend to stay close to home.
Of the water turtles, the best known may be the Red Eared Slider, also affectionately known as the Dime Store turtle. Slider turtle habitat consists of slow moving streams and ponds, mostly those in the Eastern and Southeastern United States. The Red Eared Slider is found in many other areas however, partially due to ancestors who while once pets, were either released or managed to escape. The Red Eared Slider has moved into areas where it has at times tended to crowd out other species. This, the Dime Store turtle, is carnivorous when in the wild. The red eared Slider is one of a minority of turtle species whose numbers are relatively stable.
Another freshwater turtle who prefers ponds and slow moving streams is the Mud Turtle. Mud turtle habitat extends across most of the United States, southward into Mexico, Central America, and even parts of South America. Like the Red Eared Slider, the Mud Turtle is carnivorous. (continued...)