There are not many masked side-necked turtles on the domestic market. They are uncommon turtles. Many people may have only heard of their name but not seen their body. The tortoise shell is very beautiful, and the limbs and head are covered with beautiful patterns. Today, the author will introduce this little guy to you, and give you some popular science information about it with pictures and texts!

I. Identity information

Chinese alias: masked toad head turtle

English name: Phrynops williamsi

Main distribution: South America, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil

Living environment: semi-aquatic, wild habitat, streams

II. Individual characteristics

The pattern on the head of the masked side-necked turtle is similar to the shape of the flower surface, but it is somewhat different from the flower surface if you look closely. There is a black n-shaped black strip in the middle of its chin, which is not a complicated pattern like lace, and looks more refreshing.

Let's turn over and look at the plastron of the masked side-necked turtle, you will find that its background color is not the red or orange tone of the flower surface, but white, which is also the masked side-necked turtle an important signature feature.

The adult mask side-neck turtle will have gray-green spots on the shell, and the pattern of the carapace will show a radial pattern, just like the pattern projected by diamonds under strong light. very nice.

Three. Living environment

The masked side-necked turtle is a semi-aquatic turtle. In the wild, they like to live on wet land. If captive, you can choose to keep them in the water, but provide a drying platform to give them a chance to get out of the water and play. Of course, if you choose to raise in a terrestrial environment, then you need to ensure humidity, which is very important (ideal humidity is 50%-70%).

In addition, the masked side-neck turtle is a very timid guy. Only when the surrounding environment is very quiet, they will carefully climb out to bask in the sun and eat some food. Therefore, when artificial feeding, you can choose to put the breeding tank in a quieter corner of the home.

In addition, it should be noted that because the living environment is humid, it is easy to become a breeding ground for some fungi and bacteria, so it is necessary to provide enough light to prevent the turtles from being infected with bacteria. (Irradiate with UV light 1-2 times a week, 2-3 hours each time.)

4. Dietary characteristics

Mask The side-necked turtle is an omnivorous animal and refuses meat and vegetables. Animal foods include: insects, small aquatic animals, invertebrates, etc.; plant foods include: vegetable leaves, fruits, etc. Daily feeding, only 1 time every 2 days, can not feed too much.

If you come to Yaxing one day, you can also put some live small fish. At this time, you can see it shaking its head and chasing the small fish, which is very fun~

At present, the number of artificially bred masked side-necked turtles is really not many, so it is still difficult to buy. Although this tortoise is a relatively easy species to raise, its reproductive success rate is not high, so if you are lucky enough to get one, be sure to take good care of it~