What do turtles eat on the Volga. Swamp turtle - Emys orbicularis

Turtles are reptiles; this order is more than 220 million years old, and they are rightfully considered the oldest animals in the world. Exists a large number of species of turtles, and each of them lives in its own environment - steppes and forests, ponds and lakes, rivers, seas and mountains.

A special feature of these animals is their small, streamlined head, which the turtle can hide inside its shell in case of danger. The short tail also hides there. Turtles reproduce by laying eggs and burying them in the sand. These animals prefer a solitary lifestyle. Only in mating season they are looking for a community of their own kind. But there are some species that gather in groups during the winter.

Despite the fact that the turtle's brain is poorly developed, the animal has color vision and good results in the field of intelligence. Turtles are one of the most beloved pets and children are drawn to them. But before you bring this pet into your home, you need to find out the details of the conditions for keeping it.

Everyone knows the expression “slow as a turtle.” This applies to large land turtles, which are hampered by their heavy shell from moving quickly. But the same cannot be said about marine and freshwater animals.

For example, the fastest turtle in the world is the leatherback turtle. She lives in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. If necessary, it can reach a speed of movement under water of up to 35 km/h, this is the highest speed among reptiles, and it is also capable of diving to a depth of 1200 meters. But on land, its speed indicators are much more modest. In addition, among all turtles, the leatherback turtle has the largest size (body length 2.5 m) and weight (the largest measured individual weighed 916 kg). There is an opinion that it is water that is for turtles natural environment. However, only marine species, freshwater and only a few land ones. Other land and semi-aquatic types can even drown in water.

Turtles are considered to be the longest-livers of the animal world, but only huge land species, such as elephants, survive to 100 years or more. If we talk about pets about 30 cm long, then they can only live up to 50 years, and then only with good care and proper nutrition. Turtles 50 - 60 cm long can live up to 70 years. This makes it possible to conclude that the age of a turtle directly depends on the maximum size of its species. The age of turtles can be determined by the rings that appear annually on the scutes that make up the shell.

Interestingly, there are turtles whose shells are quite soft. And oddly enough, this feature helps them protect themselves from predators. Such turtles hide from enemies in rock crevices. So, the soft shell has Chinese trionix. This is a somewhat unusual turtle - it has a soft shell, as it lacks horny scutes, and is covered with skin. This is the only representative of soft-bodied turtles living in Russia.

The marsh turtle lives in the Stavropol region. The maximum size of its shell reaches 23 cm. These animals are active during the day and at dusk. Turtles swim quickly, dive well and can stay underwater for a long time. They often come ashore and can lie motionless for hours, basking in the sun's rays. When in danger, they immediately rush into the water and bury themselves at the bottom. The diet includes insects, algae and semi-aquatic plants.

There is an opinion that when communicating with people, turtles remember their faces. In response to gentle speech, they crane their necks, but in response to rude speech, they react differently - the turtle hides in its shell.

Author Irina CHERNYSHOVA

© Photo by the press service of the Governor of the UK On December 16, a “Direct Line” was held with the Governor of Stavropol Vladimir Vladimirov.
Stavropolskaya Pravda
17.12.2019 As part of the preliminary verification of information received by the governor Stavropol Territory Vladimir Vladimirov during the “direct line”,
Ministry natural resources and environmental protection
17.12.2019 Secretary regional office UNITED RUSSIA Party, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov held an extended meeting on implementation issues national projects on the territory of the Stavropol Territory.
United Russia
17.12.2019

Type Chordata - Chordata
Class Reptiles - Reptilia
squad Turtles - Testudines
Family Freshwater turtles- Emydidae.
Genus: Swamp turtles
View Swamp turtle (Black Sea population) - Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Status. 3"Rare" -3,RD. An endangered species on the Black Sea coast, listed in. The marsh turtle is included in Appendix 2.

Global Threat Category on the IUCN Red List

“Low risk / Near Threatened” - Lower Risk / Near Threatened, LR/nt ver. 2.3 (1994).

Category according to IUCN Red List criteria

The regional Black Sea population is classified as Near Threatened, NT. B. S. Tuniev

Belonging to the objects of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation

Do not belong.

Brief morphological description

Swamp turtle up to 200 mm long. The carapace on top is dark olive to black in color, with or without numerous yellow streaks; below - yellowish or brown. The neck, legs and tail are covered with numerous yellow spots, sometimes merging into stripes. Young animals are often olive-brown in color.

Spreading

The global range covers Europe, Western Asia, western Kazakhstan and southern Turkmenistan. In the Russian Federation, the species is distributed north to Smolensk, Bryansk, Tula, Oryol region, upper reaches of the river Don. Found in the Republic of Mari El, Chuvashia, middle Volga(Samara region), in Bashkiria and on the left bank of the river. Ural.

The regional range occupies the flat and foothill parts of the region, as well as a narrow strip of the Black Sea coast to the border with Abkhazia. Currently, the habitat of the marsh turtle is broken along the entire Black Sea coast; in many places it has disappeared completely. Turtles can still be found in the Sukhoi Liman tract on the ridge. Navagir, lake Abrau, near the village. Lazarevskoye, Kudepsta, Adler, Baranovka (on the East Dagomys river), village. Kalinovoe Lake, r. Small Khosta.

On the northern slope of the Western Caucasus, the marsh turtle is still common in the plains and partly in the foothills. The taxonomic position of animals living in KK is unclear; the habitat of three subspecies is indicated. The surroundings of Sochi are apparently inhabited by the relict subspecies E. orbicularis colchica Fritz, 1994, while the flat and foothill parts of the region are inhabited by the nominative subspecies. The indication of the presence of another subspecies E. orbicularis hellenica Fritz, 1994, from the Azov region is doubtful. Type area: Southern Europe.

Features of biology and ecology

The marsh turtle lives in stagnant and low-flowing reservoirs, at the bottom of which it overwinters. Rarely rises to mountains above 200 m above sea level. seas. The maximum in the Western Caucasus rises to 800 m above sea level. sea ​​(surroundings of Psebay) on the northern slope and 600 m above sea level. sea ​​(village Kalinovoe Lake) - on the southern macroslope of the GKH.

Activity continues from March to October. During the season it lays 1–3 clutches, 5–10 eggs in each. The length of the eggs is from 29.6 to 35.5 mm, width - from 18.3 to 21.0 mm, weight 8.3–8.88 g. Egg development lasts about 100 days, the size of the carapace at hatching is on average 14, 5 mm. Young ones appear on the surface in autumn, more often next spring. It feeds on various invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Number and its trends

Swamp turtle back at the beginning of the 20th century. represented the most common numerous species along the entire northeastern coast of the Black Sea. In the collection of ZM MSU there are specimens from Anapa (No. 26, Belogolovy, 1907). A. A. Silantiev found them in Kudepsta and Adler.

The same author calls the Adler Lowland the real kingdom of these turtles. The number is decreasing everywhere: per 1 km, on average, 3 individuals were counted. In 1977–1978, the marsh turtle was common in the vicinity of the village. Sergei-Pole, in 1980–1981. We didn’t see a single animal. Known population from the village. Mamaika disappeared in the 90s of the twentieth century. In Sukhoi Liman and lake. Abrau population is extremely low.

Limiting factors

Construction railway Tuapse - Sukhumi, stretching along the Black Sea coast, drainage of the swamps of the Imereti Lowland, rapid development of resort construction along the entire coast from Anapa to Batumi and intensive conversion of land into farmland, and then recreational facilities, direct destruction by humans. Limiting factors include the catching of animals (large quantities go on sale in the markets of large cities of the region and are exported to the cities of the Russian Federation), destruction of biotopes.

Necessary and additional security measures

Organization of a reserve in the Imereti Lowland or inclusion of this area in the SNP, organization of the Novorossiysk Nature Reserve. Implementation of measures to suppress illegal capture and trafficking of animals.

Information sources. 1. Ananyeva et al., 2004; 2. Bannikov et al., 1977; 3. Nikolsky, 1915; 4. Tuniev B.S., 1987b; 5. Tuniev B.S. et al., 1988; 6. Tuniev B.S., Lebedeva, 1986; 7. Shibanov, 1935; 8. IUCN, 2004; 9. Fritz, 1994; 10. Tuniyev, Nilson, 1995; 11. Unpublished data from the compilers. Compiled by B. S. Tuniev, S. B. Tuniev.

Cited literature: classification - https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki

A common representative of the reptile class is marsh turtle. The body length of this creature is from 12 to 35 cm, weight is about one and a half kilograms or a little less.

As seen in photo,swamp turtles it is not difficult to distinguish from relatives by the structure of the rounded, low shell, connected on the sides to the lower part of the body by elastic ligaments; as well as by the absence of a beak on the reptile’s muzzle and the following external signs:

• the color of the shell can be black, brown or olive;
• leather covered yellow spots, It has green tint;
• pupil orange or yellow eyes usually dark;
• their legs have membranes and long claws;
• the tail, which acts as a rudder when moving through water, is quite long.

Representatives of the genus of marsh turtles are distributed throughout Europe; they can be found in the Middle East, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, as well as in the northwestern regions of Africa.

They inhabit forests, forest-steppes and mountainous areas, trying to settle near bodies of water; they live not only in swamps, as the name suggests, but in rivers, streams, canals and ponds.

Character and lifestyle of the marsh turtle

These animals, belonging to the freshwater family, are active during the day and sleep at the bottom of reservoirs at night. They feel great in aquatic environment, where they can stay for about two days.

But they also feel great on land, so the marsh turtle can be found on large lawns, where these cold-blooded animals love to bask in the sun, thus feeding their body with energy.

The marsh turtle feels great both in water and on land

They try to find other suitable places for sunbathing, often using driftwood and stones protruding from the water. Reptiles tend to move closer to the sun even on cloudy, cool days, despite the cloudy sky, trying to catch those breaking through the clouds. Sun rays.

But when the slightest danger arises, the reptiles immediately flop into the water and hide in its depths among the underwater vegetation. The enemies of these creatures can be predatory animals and.

Also, they often do not have to expect anything good from humans, and in some eastern countries it is customary to eat them, which causes significant damage to the numbers of the swamp turtle genus.

The sense of smell and vision of such reptiles is well developed. Moving on the ground quite quickly, they swim beautifully and quickly, and strong limbs help them in their movements in the water.

The paws of swamp turtles are equipped with large claws, which gives them the ability to easily burrow into a layer of leaves or muddy soil. In the wild, these reptiles hibernate in cold weather. This usually occurs in early November and continues until the end of April.

Considered quite rare, marsh turtles ended up in Krasnaya. And although the total number of such animals is quite stable, they have completely disappeared from some habitat areas where they were previously found.

Types of marsh turtles

A prominent representative of this genus is considered European marsh turtle. She is the owner of a smooth carapace, which has a round or oval shape.

Its color can be greenish-yellow or black with a pattern, dotted with various combinations of rays and lines, as well as white or yellow spots. When wet, the shell changes color as it dries, from shiny in the sun to gradually becoming matte.

The turtle's head is pointed and large, and its skin and paws are dark, dotted with spots. The reptiles weigh about one and a half kilograms and reach approximately 35 cm in size. Moreover, the largest individuals live in Russia.

European marsh turtles are divided into 13 subspecies with different habitats. Individuals differ in appearance, size, color and some other parameters.

Pictured is a European marsh turtle

In Russia, where five subspecies of such reptiles are common, black turtles are mainly found, and individuals with a greenish-yellow shell live under the hot sun of Sicily.

The genus of the described reptiles also includes another species - the American marsh turtle, which has a carapace 25-27 cm long. The main background of the shell is dark olive, and small light spots are clearly visible on it.

Representatives of the fauna of this species have significant similarities with European marsh turtles in appearance and behavior. For a long time these two types of animals were considered by scientists to be the same type, but a deeper study of genetics and structure internal skeleton led to the identification of significant differences in these reptiles, which gave reason to now consider them separate species of marsh turtles.

Care and maintenance of a marsh turtle at home

These reptiles are often kept as pets in their own homes. You can easily buy them or catch them yourself in their habitats, for which the warm summer months are very suitable.

Domestic swamp turtles are usually smaller in size than individuals living in wildlife. Their unpretentiousness allows anyone, even the most inexperienced owners, to keep them and even have offspring from their pets.

Swamp turtle at home unable to fully live without sunlight. That is why adult healthy individuals in warm summer weather It’s quite possible to let him out for a walk in the courtyard of his own dacha, especially if there is a small artificial pond there.

In the photo there is a baby marsh turtle

Such reptiles can be kept in pairs, but care behind swamp turtle assumes the presence of an aquarium with a volume of at least one hundred liters, as well as a place for heating, illuminated by an ultraviolet lamp that heats environment up to 30 °C and providing animals with twelve hours of daylight.

Living at home, swamp turtles do not hibernate, and animal owners should know this and not worry about this. To the disadvantages keeping a swamp turtle refers to her immense aggressiveness. Reptiles are pugnacious to such an extent that they are capable of injuring each other and even biting off their tails.

They are no friendlier to other pets, not tolerating rivals in the house, especially when it comes to fighting for food. They are capable of being cunning and can, if not carefully, be dangerous to small children. However, turtles are quite smart and reward those who feed them with gratitude.

The photo shows a marsh turtle in a home aquarium

Swamp turtle nutrition

The lifespan of such reptiles remains largely a mystery to scientists, and so far there is no consensus on this matter. But, like all representatives of the turtle genus, they are long-livers. Experts usually give a figure of 30-50 years, but some biologists believe that marsh turtles, in some cases, can live up to 100 years.

European marsh turtle (lat. Emys orbicularis) is a very common species aquatic turtles, which is often kept at home. They live throughout Europe, as well as in the Middle East and even northern Africa.

We will tell you about its habitat in nature, maintenance and care of a marsh turtle at home.

Habitat in nature

As already mentioned, the European marsh turtle lives in a wide range, covering not only Europe, but also Africa and Asia. Accordingly, it is not included in the Red Book.

She lives in various bodies of water: ponds, canals, swamps, streams, rivers, even large puddles. Swamp turtles live in water, but they love to bask and climb onto rocks, snags, various rubbish to lie under the sun.

Even in cool and cloudy days they are making attempts to bask in the sun, which breaks through the clouds. Like most aquatic turtles in nature, swamp turtles instantly flop into the water at the sight of a person or animal.

Their powerful paws with long claws allow them to swim through thickets with ease and even burrow into muddy soil or under a layer of leaves. They love aquatic vegetation and hide in it at the slightest opportunity.

Description

The European marsh turtle has an oval or rounded carapace, smooth, usually black or yellow-green in color. It is dotted with many small yellow or white spots, sometimes forming rays or lines.

The shell is smooth when wet and shines in the sun, and becomes more matte as it dries. The head is large, slightly pointed, without a beak. The skin on the head is dark, often black, with small spots of yellow or white. The paws are dark, also with light spots on them.

Emys orbicularis has several subspecies that differ in color, size or detail, but most often in habitat. For example, the Sicilian marsh turtle (Emys (orbicularis) trinacris) with a striking yellow-green carapace and the same skin color. And Emys orbicularis orbicularis, which lives in Russia and Ukraine, is almost completely black.

Adult marsh turtles reach a carapace size of up to 35 cm and a weight of up to 1.5 kg. Although, when kept at home, they are usually smaller, despite the fact that the subspecies living in Russia is one of the largest.

The European marsh turtle is very similar to the American marsh turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), in appearance and habits. They were even classified for a long time in the genus Emys. However, further study led to the fact that these two species were divided according to differences in the structure of the internal skeleton.

There is no consensus on how long a marsh turtle lives. But everyone agrees that she is a long-liver. According to different opinions, life expectancy ranges from 30 to 100.

Availability

The marsh turtle can be found on sale, or caught in the wild, within warm months. But, with normal maintenance, owners with zero experience in breeding turtles successfully produce offspring. All individuals kept in captivity are unpretentious and easy to care for.

However, it is important to note that to keep a marsh turtle, you need to create fairly precise conditions. And just bringing it and putting it in a basin won’t work. If you catch a turtle in the wild and you only need it for fun, then leave it where you found it. Believe me, this way you will make your life easier and will not kill the animal.

Juvenile marsh turtles should be kept indoors, but older individuals can be released into home ponds for the summer. For 1-2 turtles you need an aquaterrarium with a volume of at least 100 liters, and as they grow, twice as much. A couple of turtles need an aquarium 150 x 60 x 50, plus dry land for heating. Since they spend a lot of time in water, the larger the volume, the better.

However, it is important to keep the water clean and change it regularly, plus use a powerful filter. While eating, turtles litter a lot and there is a lot of waste.

All this instantly spoils the water, and dirty water leads to various diseases in aquatic turtles, from bacterial eye diseases to sepsis. To reduce contamination during feeding, the turtle can be placed in a separate container.

You don’t have to use decor and soil, since the turtle doesn’t really need it, and cleaning it up in the aquarium is much more difficult.

Approximately ⅓ of the aquaterrarium should be dry land, to which the turtle should have access. They regularly come out onto land to warm themselves, and so that they can do this without access to the sun, a heating lamp is placed above the land.

Heating

Natural sunlight is best, and it is advisable to expose small turtles to sunlight during the summer months. However, this is not always possible and an analogue of sunlight must be created artificially.

To do this, in an aquaterrarium, above land, an incandescent lamp and a special lamp with UV rays, an ultraviolet lamp for reptiles (10% UVB), are placed. Moreover, the height must be at least 20 cm so that the animal does not get burned. The temperature on land, under the lamp should be 30-32C, and the length daylight hours at least 12 hours.

In nature, they spend the winter and hibernate, but in captivity they do not do this and there is no need to force them! Her home conditions allow her to be active throughout the year; it’s not winter when there’s nothing to eat.

Feeding

What to feed a swamp turtle? The main thing is not what, but how. Swamp turtles are very aggressive when feeding!

She eats fish, shrimp, beef heart, liver, chicken heart, frogs, worms, crickets, mice, artificial food, snails. The best food is fish, for example, you can put live fish, guppies, directly into the aquarium. Juveniles are fed every day, and adult turtles once every two to three days. They are very greedy for food and easily overeat.

For normal development, turtles need vitamins and calcium. Usually artificial food contains everything a turtle needs, so adding food from a pet store to the diet will not be out of place. And yes, they need sunlight to absorb calcium and produce vitamin B3. So don’t forget about special lamps and heating.

Appeal

Very smart, they quickly understand that their owner is feeding them and will rush to you in the hope of feeding them. However, at this moment they are aggressive and you need to be careful. Like all turtles, they are cunning and can bite, and quite painfully.

You need to handle them carefully and generally touch them less often. It is better not to give it to children, as they pose a mutual danger to each other.

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O. GERASIMOVA, M. PESTOV (ecological center "Dront", Nizhny Novgorod). Photo by N. Anufrieva and M. Pestov.

It’s hardly worth describing what a turtle looks like. Its only defense - a strong shell - turned out to be so effective that it allowed animals to survive many millions of years of evolution almost unchanged. However, these reptiles turned out to be absolutely defenseless in front of humans. They are hunted mercilessly, and not only for meat and eggs. When tortoiseshell combs, combs, cufflinks and other crafts became fashionable, this same shell, covered with a beautiful pattern, threatened the existence of many species. What can be done to protect animals?

Science and life // Illustrations

Swamp turtles can stay underwater for a long time, but to breathe they need atmospheric air. Once caught in fishing nets, they suffocate and die.

The female bog turtle is a cute, curious, and full of life creature. In captivity, in city apartments, these animals quickly lose their bright individuality and interest in life.

Male marsh turtle. Unlike yellow-eyed females, males have brown eyes.

In one of the private pet stores in Gelendzhik, with an unwavering hand, they wrote out a sales receipt for a Mediterranean tortoise, listed in the Red Book of Russia. Catching and selling these turtles is strictly prohibited.

Before releasing a Mediterranean tortoise into the wild, we assign it an individual number so that we can find out about its future fate.

Oddly enough, the turtles living in our country suffer mainly from the “good” attitude towards them, namely from the fashion that arose not so long ago to keep turtles at home as living toys.

There is a misconception that there is nothing easier than keeping such an undemanding creature: you don’t have to take it for a walk every day in any weather three times a day, wash its paws after a walk, or clean the sofa and armchairs of hair. But this is a misconception. Like any other animal, reptiles require attention and special care.

The fate of turtles caught in captivity is most often sad. After suffering for several years in unsuitable conditions in city apartments, they die without leaving offspring. Meanwhile, more and more batches are going on sale. As a result, populations are seriously damaged, and some species are now on the verge of extinction.

We often hear that turtle owners are sincerely attached to their pets. But what does this do for their pets? With really thoughtful, good care (you can read more about this in articles published in the magazine, see “Science and Life” No. 9, 1998; No.), some reptiles can live for more than half a century. Is it possible to guarantee that not only the current owners, but also their children, and perhaps grandchildren, will have the patience to care for the animal?

Most often, as practice shows, a feeling of attachment to a turtle is often combined with blatant ignorance regarding its biology and necessary conditions content. For example, some owners are confident that it is enough to feed their pets dandelions once every six months and that they can live for 300 years without food. Sometimes turtles are allowed to “winter” on a hot radiator, although they require a shaded, cool, damp place. And the stories about how I fell into hibernation the turtle was thrown away, considered dead, we had to listen dozens of times.

We are members of two divisions of the Dront environmental center, organized in 1989 with the status of a “public institution.” Currently, the eco-center has about 30 structural divisions, each of which leads separate direction work, has its own manager and is self-financing. The Youth Ecological and Biological Union "Chilim" was created in 2002 to introduce children and teenagers to nature conservation and scientific research. The Nizhny Novgorod Society for the Protection of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Dront ecocenter seeks to unite the efforts of herpetologists - specialists and amateurs - to study and protect endangered species.

For four years now we have been implementing the “Attention, Turtle!” project, the goal of which is to organize cooperation and information exchange with herpetologists from other regions and countries in order to develop and implement measures to protect rare species of these reptiles. By disseminating information about the project through means mass media, we're practically all year round We are collecting animals in order to return the turtles to their natural environment in late spring and early summer. We transport them to their habitats in different ways - depending on possibilities - by train or by car.

It seems that the main problem is that the current owners do not know how captured turtles are delivered to them. In order to clarify the picture, we present only one excerpt from the publication of the Russian representative office of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW):

“On April 25, 2003, the capital’s environmental police confiscated 1,660 Central Asian turtles from a citizen of Uzbekistan. The small turtles were tightly packed in huge bags, each animal was wrapped in tape to limit mobility and facilitate smuggling. 5 animals died during transportation, another 19 during the next months. About a hundred turtles had severe shell deformations."

Of the four species of turtles currently living in our country, two most often end up as living souvenirs: the marsh turtle ( Emys orbicularis), common in the lower reaches of the Volga and in other southern regions of the European part of Russia, and Mediterranean ( Testudo graeca), living on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and Dagestan. Both species are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Mediterranean species is also listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation in category “1” (a species with a steadily declining population, some populations of which are on the verge of extinction) and in the annex to the Convention on International Trade in Species wild fauna and endangered flora.

Swamp turtles of Volgograd and Astrakhan regions hundreds die in fishing nets, under the wheels of cars, in trenches dug when laying communications, when draining reservoirs and during reed fires. Tourists also make a significant “contribution” to the extermination of the species: every year they export a large number of animals outside the Lower Volga region.

However, in the southern part of the Lower Volga region this species still remains quite numerous; special protection measures are not yet required. It is enough to carry out the usual fight against fish poaching and environmental education population.

There is great concern current state Mediterranean turtle. The number of animals is steadily declining, which is noted not only by experts. According to the stories of local residents, previously they could be seen in the wild almost every day, but in Lately such meetings occur no more than once a year. One of the reasons for the disaster is the uncontrolled fishing of turtles by traders and tourists. The greatest demand is for young, immature individuals under the age of 10 years. Thus, animals end up in captivity without having time to leave offspring and, as a result, find themselves completely lost to the species.

While traveling around Black Sea coast Krasnodar region In Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk, members of our expedition saw Mediterranean tortoises openly sold in private pet stores. They are also available for free sale in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Naturally, catching and selling these animals is absolutely illegal and, theoretically, should entail fairly serious penalties. In practice, the trade in rare species of turtles is thriving, bringing considerable income to its organizers, since the fine they are supposed to pay under the article of the criminal code looks simply ridiculous.

Several years ago, specialists working on the Red Book of the Nizhny Novgorod Region proposed adding the marsh turtle to the list, since zoologists had repeatedly discovered it in various areas. It was included in the regional Red Book, but later scientists came to the conclusion: the marsh turtle is not found in the Nizhny Novgorod region, and the individuals they encountered were thrown away by the owners who were tired of the “toy”. Along the way, it turned out that every year tourists who visited the lower reaches of the Volga bring many dozens of reptiles to the region, dooming them to slow death. It was then that the idea arose to organize a collection of swamp turtles.

All sorts of turtles were brought to us during the work on this project: emaciated, with softened and deformed shells, immobilized, dried out, like mummies, so much so that many of them could not dive into the water and floated on the surface like a fallen leaf. The story is simple and typical. Having received an animal as a gift from someone, the owners let it crawl on the floor in the apartment and tried to feed it traditional dandelions. And the turtle, firstly, is a predator, and secondly, an aquatic animal, can only eat in water. For a year, she refused the plant food offered to her, and the owners had no idea that she needed to be put into the water. During all this time, the animal did not have the opportunity not only to swim, but even to drink enough.

“Our turtles are very kind,” the owners of two other swamp turtles told us, “they have never bitten us!” The “good” turtles lay motionless in a cardboard box. During the three hour ride in the car they never moved. Meanwhile, healthy animals would tear such a box to pieces. After a month of rehabilitation in the center, they quickly rose on their hind legs against the glass partition when they began to feed other animals in the neighboring pool, and actively defended their territory, making sharp lunges with an open mouth, as soon as you passed your hand next to them.

Over the years of working on the project, we have become convinced that owners bring in Mediterranean turtles much less often than marsh turtles, and some individuals cannot be saved. Obviously, they tolerate captivity worse and die before they have time to tire of their owners.

In addition to the marsh and Mediterranean turtles that live in Russia, there is also a Central Asian tortoise ( Argionemys horsfieldii). These inhabitants of semi-deserts and deserts are most often kept in apartments. So far we have not been able to find a solution to a difficult question: what to do with large quantities of confiscated turtles? It is extremely difficult to officially return animals to their homeland. Moreover, it turned out, for example, that all the animals from the batch confiscated in 2003 were sick with salmonellosis (one of the arguments not to keep these animals in apartments).

The situation with red-eared turtles looks even more hopeless ( Trachemys scripta elegans). Their homeland is North America, they reproduce well in captivity, and this species is not yet in danger of extinction. Many people willingly buy small bright green turtles with red stripes on their heads for aquariums. Problems begin when the animal grows, loses its brightness and no longer fits in the aquarium. So what should owners do? They begin to offer turtles to friends, school groups, and zoos. Sometimes they are simply thrown away or released into the nearest body of water, and this is an illegal introduction of an alien species, fraught with very serious environmental consequences.

In a number of European countries, in order to protect local water bodies, nurseries have been created where overgrown turtles are accepted from the population. There is a similar nursery in the Baltic states. It doesn't exist in Russia. That's why visitors to the Moscow Zoo probably paid attention to the numerous red eared turtles, living in the same basin with caimans. They feel good there, they even warm themselves by sitting on the caimans’ backs, despite the fact that they eat them for breakfast from time to time. You cannot blame the zoo employees for cruelty; you can only sympathize with them. Imagine how many individuals are brought to the zoo every year from all over Moscow!

Now, according to our observations, the market is also flooded with Far Eastern soft-bodied turtles- three-clawed trionics ( Trionyx sinensis) - rare view For Russia. But neighboring China has relatively recently mastered its cultivation on farms. In pet stores, Trionics are often called "Chinese leatherback turtle." Before you buy a cute, nimble, nosed baby, think about the fact that, firstly, it is a predator and very active; in the conditions of an ordinary city apartment, create for him normal conditions difficult, but without the necessary warm-up and with improper nutrition, hunchbacked dwarf freaks grow up. Secondly, the weight of an adult Trionix can reach 15 kg. Predators of this size at home are a dangerous toy!

Collecting turtles caught in Russia and returning them to their natural habitats is not the main content of the project. Its basis is educational work aimed at reducing consumer demand for reptiles.

In the first years of its work, the project was supported by the Committee for Nature Protection and Environmental Management of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The third year supports us International Fund Animal Welfare (IFAW). This year, the organization received additional targeted support under the small grants program from the Rufford Foundation (Great Britain) for the study and protection of the most rare and vulnerable species of turtles in the Russian fauna - the Mediterranean tortoise. We are trying to track the entire chain of illegal activities - from the capture of these animals in Astrakhan and Volgograd regions before the sale of live goods in major cities- and take appropriate measures in alliance with local environmental structures. We hope that people, having become more familiar with "turtle problems", will think seriously before catching or buying an animal for pet keeping. In any case, in last years The number of turtles that residents bring to us has decreased significantly.

Perhaps someone, after reading this article, will think: in our society there are many much more serious problems. But it is no coincidence that the ancient Indians placed the turtle as the basis of the grandiose cosmogonic pyramid - a symbol of wisdom, endurance and longevity. (And in many other religions they did not ignore it, making it an object of veneration.) And let us remember the words of the wonderful American poet T. Eliot: “Do not touch a flower, lest you shake a star and bring down the universe.” The disappearance of one species will certainly affect the entire ecological chain. And the universe may indeed collapse.