Scientific and practical conference

"Young Environment Researchers"

MOU secondary school №3 Ak-Dovurak

Red-eared turtle in indoor conditions

Direction: "Zoology and Ecology of Vertebrate Animals"

6th grade student

MOU secondary school №3 Ak-Dovurak

Scientific adviser:

Vdovina Nadezhda Kuzminichna, head of the "Young Ecologist" circle on the basis of the Living Corner of the secondary school No. 3 in Ak-Dovurak

Ak-Dovurak, 2008

Introduction

Passion for the harmony of living nature, its unexpected revelations and amazing beauty comes to people in different ways. But everyone experiences it for the first time in childhood. A person who is deprived of the wonderful gift of being surprised loses a lot.

Surprise gives rise to curiosity, makes you look for answers to many questions and riddles that nature poses at every step.

BUT Live nature in this studied specimen - red-eared turtle. Communication with her gives joy and surprise during the observation period.

The life and behavior of the red-eared turtle in room conditions

Observation object

Behavior of the red-eared turtle in indoor conditions

Objectives: To determine the dependence of the behavior of the red-eared turtle on food.

Tasks:

1. The study of literature on red-eared turtles.

2. Observation of the turtle during feeding and wakefulness.

3. Summary of Turtle Observations.

Hypothesis: The behavior of the turtle depends on the food offered to the animal.

Habitat for red-eared turtles

The red-eared turtle belongs to the family of freshwater turtles (Emydidae). “The ability of these turtles to live in slow-flowing waters, survive relatively low temperatures and feed on any garbage allowed them to settle far beyond their natural range in the southeastern United States. Turtles can be found south of North America, South and Central Europe, South Africa, South-East Asia» (2). Red-eared turtles often crowd out native species of turtles. Young turtles are born with a shell length of about 3 cm. During the first 1.5 years, they are able to grow up to 7.5 cm. Then growth slows down, and the turtle grows an average of 1-1.25 cm per year. Adult females are larger than males and have more powerful jaws. Mating in nature is from late February to May. In captivity, turtles mate throughout the year. Usually there are 6-10 eggs in a clutch. Several clutches during the year. Sexual maturity is reached by 6-8 years in the wild, in captivity males by 4 years, females by 5-6 years

Most often, we have red-eared turtles in our house. Like any turtles, they live for a long time: at least 30 years in good conditions. But an unprepared and irresponsible owner can shorten the life of a turtle to 2-3 years.

Appearance and size of the red-eared turtle.

The shell of aquatic turtles differs significantly from the domed shell of land turtles. It is streamlined and flattened, its shape is oval. The head, neck and limbs are painted with former and light green stripes. Females are noticeably larger than males. The maximum length reaches 28.9 cm.

Concentric annual rings grow on the scutes of the turtle, as on a cut of a tree trunk, and from them it is possible to establish its age with relative accuracy (2-3 rings correspond to one year.

Turtles do not have real teeth, but there are horny plates along the edges of the jaws, ending in a “beak” (4). They are not inferior to the teeth of mammals. Some turtles tend to bite hard

Red-eared turtles are merman turtles and should only be kept in spacious aquaterrariums. So, for one turtle you need an aquarium of 100-150 liters. “Although red-eared turtles spend most of their time in the water, they need dry land where they can rest and walk” (5). Some owners of turtles are limited to sticking a plastic island to the wall of the aquarium. But this is not the way out. It is difficult for a turtle to climb it; a gradually rising slope will be much more convenient for it. The sloping bank should be rough enough so that the turtle's claws easily cling to it. The stores sell special islands for turtles, they meet all the necessary requirements (Inclined slope, rough surface, big square"sushi"). The land surface must be large enough - at least a quarter of total area aquarium. It will be easy for you to feed the turtle on the island where it will go out to bask.

The water in an aquarium with a turtle should be completely changed once a month. It is advisable to pre-defend water.

Turtles need warmth. Therefore, we install a lamp over the island. Since the lamp will be a source of heat for us. Experts recommend buying an ordinary incandescent lamp - its heat dissipation is simply wonderful. Moreover, the light of an incandescent lamp is so similar to sunlight. If the lamp constantly warms the island, there is no need to heat the water, the turtle will always be able to get out and warm on the island. “The island should be at a level of 30 cm from the edge of the aquarium, if it is too close to the edge, the most nimble turtles will surely try to escape” (6).

Turtle feeding

A turtle that has settled into captivity ceases to “close up” in its shell. They, according to experts, are “beggars” - they don’t remember their owner, but they know the feeding time well and are not late for dinner.

Feeding turtles is not difficult - the main thing is that the supply of a variety of feeds includes the main components. And although water turtles are carnivorous, they are not averse to diversifying their “menu” with vegetarian “dishes”, especially “for old age”. In general, red-eared turtles are unpretentious: in the absence of algae, they willingly eat cabbage, carrot tops, and raw meat. aquatic turtles It is desirable to feed and shrimps. Once a week, the turtles are given a finely chopped heart of cattle, and once a small fish. Depending on the season, dandelion leaves, lettuce, spinach, banana slices and other fruits. In addition, everything that can be collected in the field and on the river is given: caterpillars, fly larvae, earthworms, land and freshwater snails, all kinds of insects, as well as freshwater fish. The diet of young turtles requires special attention.

Red-eared turtles are happy to eat both bloodworms and chopped meat and granular feed. However, to eliminate calcium deficiency, turtles need boiled fish (give the fish along with small bones, do not be afraid, they will not choke). Try not to give them fatty fish such as capelin, sprat, mackerel. Meat should not be the main food. Turtles "brought up" on meat inevitably suffer from rickets. The diet of young red-eared turtles should be dominated by animal foods, and with age, plant-based foods should be preferred. Until the age of two, the turtles are fed every day, and those that are older can be fed 2-3 times a week.

How to feed? Place food near the water's edge first. When the turtle is used to it, start feeding it on the island by placing the food in a saucer of water. If your aquarium has algae planted, the turtles will eat it. So that they do not lack plant food, give them lettuce, young cabbage and various pond algae. Do not forget that turtles can eat small ones. aquarium fish so feed them on time.

If the turtle's claws have grown too long, trim them with manicure tweezers. You don't need to cut your beak, because your turtle is a predator and it needs a sharp edge of its beak to tear food.

experimental part

№ p p	2006	2007	2008
Food	Bread, pieces of meat, fish	Flies, pieces of meat	Eats little: meat
Behavior	Active	Active	Passive

Conclusion

Pond slider unpretentious. It is easy to care for her, but you need to follow the rules of care and maintenance. The red-eared turtle is able to survive in artificially created conditions.

The behavior of a turtle depends on its diet and the food offered. It is necessary to diversify the turtle's diet according to the recommended diet.

Bibliography

1. "Great Soviet Encyclopedia" - M., 1978

2. "Red-eared turtles" - leave the content. M., 2004.

3. "Yapoznayumir" - Snakes, crocodiles, turtles. - M., 2000.

4. http://www.newzoo.ru/?p=home&num=list&i=pseudemys

5. Vasiliev D.B. Terrarium of the Moscow Zoo. - M., 1995

6. Turtles, lizards, snakes - keeping, feeding, treatment at home. - M., 1999

Romankova Anastasia

Working on the project taught Nastya to be responsible towards pets.

Download:

Preview:

MBOU "Gymnasium No. 2"

Research project on the topic:

"Life of land tortoises in captivity".

Performed:

student 3B class.

Romankova Anastasia.

Supervisor:

Krysina Olga Viktorovna

Bryansk 2015

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Main part………………………………………………………………..………………..4

Conclusion ………………………………………………………………..…………..……….8

References…………………………………………..……………………………..….9

Introduction

I have always liked exotic animals. And then a dream appeared - to have these animals at home. After studying the necessary literature the greatest interest they called me turtles because they decided that a turtle would not cause much trouble and was not difficult to care for.

Mom and I went to every pet store in the city, and only one had land turtles. The seller opened a terrarium for us, where 10 turtles were sitting, all of the same age (a little over 2 years) and the same breed (Central Asian) and we chose the most active in our opinion. We were "packed" it in a box with holes and said a few words about its contents. Mom gave the money and we left. I named her Busya because she is round like a bead.But it turned out that purchase pets are easy, but taking care of them systematically is not so easy. With the appearance of a turtle in the house, I had many questions, and I set myself the goal of studying in more detail the living conditions of turtles in nature, studying their behavior at home, comparing and making a conclusion about the correctness of keeping an animal at home.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to perform the following tasks:

• Learn to mine on your own necessary information from different sources;
• Observation of the turtle during feeding and wakefulness;
• Define manipulation that can and / or must be done when caring for this animal;
• Develop the most best option caring for the Central Asian tortoise at home.

Object of study:behavior of the Central Asian turtle in room conditions.Subject of study: Central Asian tortoise

Research hypothesis:the life expectancy of a turtle at home depends on the care and maintenance standards of the animal, close to natural.

I believe that the chosen topic is relevant and significant, since the problem of the relationship between children and animals, caring for animals has always worried teachers and parents. Many people have at home such animals as cats, dogs, but very few people take care of such exotic animals as turtles at home.

To solve the tasks and test the hypothesis, the following research methods were used: the study of literary sources, observation, experiment, comparative analysis, generalization.

Life of turtles in captivity

Turtles are one of the most ancient animals on Earth. The most ancient known to science The turtle lived over 220 million years ago.The turtle survived the dinosaurs. She slowly crawled from one era to another. The turtle probably noticed how everything around her was changing: nature, climate, her neighbors on the planet. But at the same time she managed to remain almost the same as she was in the Paleozoic. And all thanks to the shell - an amazing invention of nature.This is probably why turtles live for so many years and easily adapt to almost any habitat.

It is no coincidence that the Central Asian tortoise got its name, since natural environment its habitats are many territories of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the northwestern part of India.

Central Asian tortoise feels great away from water, in the desert or steppe, not without reason is also called the Central Asian steppe tortoise. Although if the turtle gets to the water, then it actively drinks it. AT natural conditions Central Asian turtles choose clay or sandy soils for residence, with juicy desert plants which absorb moisture. Central Asian turtles are not particularly large. Them standard sizes- 15-20 cm. However, unlike freshwater turtles, males of Central Asian turtles are smaller than females. The front paws of this turtle have 4 fingers, and on the hind legs - in the femoral part - there are hard horny tubercles.The shell is low, rounded, painted in protective yellow-brown tones, with dark spots of indistinct outlines - the color of the soil on which it lives.

The life expectancy of the Central Asian tortoise is 30-40 years, whilein captivity, they live from 10 to 30 years. The life expectancy of these reptiles largely depends on their care. The owners must provide the animals not only with sufficiently balanced food (including fresh food), not only increase the daylight hours for home recluses in winter with the help of a special heat lamp, but also make sure that the turtle has a good cozy house. Therefore, first of all, my mother and I started building a home for our Busi. As a terrarium, we took a plastic toy box measuring 60 * 40 * 40 cm,on one side of which they made a shelter in the form of an inverted box, so that land turtle could sometimes hide, and sawdust was chosen as a “litter”.

I noticed that the turtle immediately began to actively move around its new home, examining it and getting used to it.

Despite the status of land reptiles, they love water very much, so I bathe my Busya once a week in clean water temperature around 30 degrees. I use a basin as a pool.

As you know, the turtle is a herbivore, so the main food for it is the stems and leaves of plants, as well as vegetables and fruits. Our turtle's food is a finely chopped mixture of greens, vegetables, fruits and vitamin and mineral supplements. In summer, Busya willingly eats dandelions, clover, coltsfoot, and plantain. In winter, it is more difficult to feed the land tortoise, as there is no such variety. Experts distinguish several options for feeding: artificial and natural. Artificial ones are sold in stores and contain all the necessary ingredients and vitamins. But my mother and I decided that we would feed our new family member only with natural products, that is, vegetables and fruits, but we would have to forget about fresh grass for a while.

In autumn, our Busya became inactive, she lost her appetite. At first I was scared, but then I found information on the Internet that this is how turtles prepare for hibernation. After studying the literature, I placed my pet in a cooler room (ideally, the air temperature during the wintering of the turtle should be from 0 to 12C). Around mid-April, the turtle will need to be awakened by placing it back in a warm terrarium and starting to heat it with a lamp.

In general, my Busya is very active. Whoever thinks that a turtle is boring is wrong. She is always interesting to watch, even when she sleeps. She can be in such funny poses sometimes that it, at least, cheers up, laughs and causes tenderness.

Once I wanted to know how much our turtle has grown since the moment of purchase. To do this, I needed a caliper, which I asked my dad, and also asked him to help me in my case. I measured three sizes - length (along the midline of the carapace), width (at its widest point) and height (from the bottom of the plastron to highest point carapace) shell.

The length of the shell of our turtle when buying was 10 cm During the year, turtles grow in length by 1 cm and in height by 0.5 cm. My Busya has grown in length by 0.5 cm and in height by 0.2 cm.

I also decided to find out the age of my turtle. In a book about tortoises, I read that concentric annual rings grow on the scutes of a tortoise. Like the cut of a tree trunk. From these rings, the age of the tortoise can be determined with relative accuracy. 2 - 3 rings - correspond to one year of the turtle's life. So I counted the rings on my Bushi. There were 12 of them.

12:2 = 6 years.

When the turtle came to us four years ago, Bushi had 4 rings.

4:2 = 2 years. From the pet store, my mother and I brought a two-year-old turtle.

From this we can conclude that the age of my turtle is approximately six years.

After all the research, in which our whole family participated, dad asked if the store had told us correctly that our turtle was a female. I myself became interested, but how to determine the sex of land turtles.

It turned out that in males the plastron (ventral side of the shell) of turtles is concave, which helps to keep his body on the convex carapace (shell) of the female during mating, the tail is thickened at the base, long. The cloaca is further down the tail than in females. Male tortoises have more prominent hip spurs than females. Males are often smaller than females. Males are more aggressive and active, and may attempt mating, chase their mates, bite females on the paws, fight with their shells, and try to turn over other males. Males also make characteristic head movements up and down.

In females, the plastron is flat, the tail is short due to the placement of the oviduct in their cloaca, without thickening. The cloaca is located near the end of the carapace. The posterior edge of the plastron and the corners of the carapace form an opening, the diameter of which in females is somewhat larger than in males. In males, the tail is much thicker and longer than that of the female, the cloaca has the shape of a longitudinal strip. The tail, due to its length, often bends under the shell, while in females it simply sticks out. Also, the shell above the tail is bent to the ground. The females have a small short tail, and the cloaca is shaped like an asterisk.

After inspection, we determined that our turtle has: a flat plastron and a short tail. All these signs tell us that this is a female.

Thus, I determined that my turtle is a female and we named her Bushey correctly.

Conclusion

They say that a turtle is in the house, fortunately, if you don’t believe in signs, get a turtle just like that. To admire her. To take care of her. Caring for someone - isn't that happiness? The turtle, living in warmth and satiety, is active and mobile. She quickly gets used to the owners and knows given name.

Turtles usually live alone (not counting giant tortoises), albeit next to each other. At home, the turtle does not suffer from loneliness at all.

I have learned to be responsible towards animals and now I know that if you have bought a pet, you need to take good care of it. Try to create all the conditions for the pet as possible lived longer at home and did not get sick.

Informational resources

1. Land turtles - M., "Aquarium", 2007
2. "World of Animals" (series "Erudite") - M., OOO TD "World of Books", 2006

1. "Big Children's Encyclopedia" / translation by A.I. Kim and V.V. Demykina - M., Rosmen - Press LLC, 2007

   Project objectives: To study the physiology, habitat and species characteristics of the Central Asian tortoises; Determine the habitat conditions of the turtle in captivity Identify the manipulations that can and / or should be done when caring for this animal

   Turtles are one of the most ancient animals on Earth. The oldest turtle known to science lived more than 220 million years ago. It is no coincidence that the Central Asian tortoise got its name, since its natural habitat is many territories of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the northwestern part of India.

   Under natural conditions, Central Asian tortoises choose clay or sandy soils for residence, with succulent desert plants, due to which they gain moisture. Central Asian turtles are not particularly large. Their standard sizes are 15-20 cm. The shell is low, rounded, painted in protective yellow-brown tones, with dark spots of unclear outlines - the color of the soil on which it lives.

   As a terrarium - a plastic toy box measuring 60 * 40 * 40 cm, on one side of which there is a shelter in the form of an inverted box so that the land turtle can sometimes hide, and sawdust as a "litter".

   The turtle is a herbivore, so the main food for it is the stems and leaves of plants, as well as vegetables and fruits. In winter, it is more difficult to feed the land tortoise, as there is no such variety. Experts distinguish several options for feeding: artificial and natural. Despite the status of land reptiles are very fond of water.

   Three sizes are measured - the length (along the midline of the carapace), the width (at the widest point) and the height (from the bottom of the plastron to the highest point of the carapace) of the shell.

   Sex determination Male tail is much thicker and longer, curling under the carapace; the cloaca has the form of a longitudinal strip; the carapace above the tail is bent to the ground; more aggressive and active. FEMALE tail is small, short, without thickening, does not bend, but simply sticks out; the cloaca is located near the end of the carapace and resembles an asterisk in shape

   So, keeping a turtle as a pet is very interesting. It is not such an unpretentious and tenacious animal as everyone thinks. Of course, this is not a kitten with which you can run and jump. During the time that Busya lives with us, I realized that the turtle is not a “living toy”. I have learned to be responsible towards animals and now I know that if you have bought a pet, you need to take good care of it. Try to create all conditions so that the pet lives in the house as long as possible and does not get sick.

   THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Scenario of a thematic conversation for younger students: Let's talk about turtles

Matveeva Svetlana Nikolaevna, teacher primary school MBOU secondary school No. 9, Ulyanovsk.
Work description: I bring to your attention a thematic conversation with primary school students about turtles. This conversation is included in the cycle of conversations "Animals of our zoo". The material will be useful for elementary school teachers, after-school teachers, kindergarten teachers, teachers of children's health camps and sanatoriums during events. Thematic conversation geared towards younger students school age, perhaps for preschool preparatory groups.
Target: acquaintance with turtles.
Tasks:
- clarify children's knowledge about turtles;
- broaden the horizons of younger students;
- to develop the needs of children for the knowledge of nature, the world of birds;
- improve the environmental awareness of the children's population;
- educate feelings of respect for the animal world.

Event progress

Teacher: Hello guys! Please listen to a few riddles and try to guess who they are talking about.
1. My house, everywhere with me.
It is placed behind the back.
I'm friends with frogs
I walk very slowly.
Not a bug at all
Who am I...? (Turtle).
2. Who has four paws,
Head, short tail
Shell on top in the form of a hat?
Who will answer the question? (Turtle).
3. I am friends with the guys,
I always go slowly.
My outfit is like a strong shield
For me alone it is sewn.
Checkered shirt -
Me kids... (Turtle).
Teacher: That's right, folks, it's a turtle.
(A photo of a turtle appears on the board.)

Teacher: Turtles are one of the most amazing views reptiles. Living on Earth for millions of years, they still look almost the same today as they did in those days when there was no man on the planet yet. Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica, and also in warm seas and oceans.

Teacher: There is one ancient Indian legend. Once upon a time, daring giants lived on Earth, who considered themselves above the gods. The gods were angry, and between them happened scary fight. It lasted for a very long time. As a result, the giants could not stand it and fled to different sides. All that was left of them was their shields. The gods decided to breathe life into their shields in order to show everyone how powerful and strong they are. As a result, the shields, like giants, spread out in different directions, then their paws and heads grew, as a result of which they turned into beautiful turtles. This is how the first turtles appeared on earth.

Teacher: There are many turtles
Various types and breeds
There is a sea - who does not know
And she lives in the seas.
There is a land breed
What lives on dry land
In general, there are many turtles,
You will learn everything from the book!
(The teacher introduces the children to the exhibition of books about turtles).

Teacher: Turtles are currently divided into two groups: sea ​​and land.
(Photographs of turtles appear on the board - representatives of two groups).

Teacher: sea ​​turtles- large animals, they can be kept in huge pools with sea ​​water. Ground turtles happen land or fresh water. Land tortoises live only on land, and water is used for drinking and bathing. There are about 40 species of them, and all of them are listed in the Red Book. Maybe that's why May 23 is World Turtle Day.
(A photo of the holiday appears on the board).

Teacher: Land turtles live in warm climate. Animals are cold-blooded and need to be heated by the sun, so their habitats are steppes, deserts or humid subtropical and tropical zones. At night, when the temperature drops, the turtles burrow into the ground heated during the day. And in the morning, when the sun begins to warm, they get out, substituting their shell for warmth. The main part of the diet is plant foods, occasionally small animals. These reptiles can do without food for a long time, and in the presence of lush vegetation - without water.

Teacher:
Who walks in the world
In a stone shirt?
In a stone shirt
They go... (Turtles).
"Stone Shirt" or the shell protects the delicate body of the tortoise from attacks. In case of danger, the animal hides its head and legs, almost completely hiding inside its armor, which prevents the enemy from attacking again. With their tough shells, turtles are considered one of the most secure animals in existence today. They also have massive paws ending in claws on their fingers. And now, guys, I invite you to take part in the questions section "Do you know that…".
Sample questions:
1. Turtles are the only vertebrate in the world with an external skeleton.
2. This is a cold-blooded species of reptile.
3. Galapagos giant turtles from the Seychelles could live 200 years or more.
4. Most large view- leatherback turtle, close to extinction. It can reach up to 2 m in length and weigh more than 1 ton.
5. The speed of the movement of the turtle depends on the temperature environment.
6. Do marine species paws in the form of flippers.
7. Land species move with maximum speed about 5 km per hour.
8. Turtles do not have teeth; they have sharp horny stripes on the edge of the jaw.
9. The smaller the shell size of land turtles, the more agile they are.
10. Turtles, who spend almost their entire lives in the water, can swim at speeds up to 35 km/h.
11. Sea turtle with a shell length of 20 cm, it will easily bite through a thick branch.
Don't underestimate the power of turtles! Guys, have you heard that turtles have excellent eyesight? They distinguish colors and, in addition, have their favorite - the brightest! Turtles have an excellent sense of smell, with the help of which they easily manage to find a bowl of food.

Teacher: The next task is color the turtles. We will work individually.
(Children color the sheets with the image of turtles).

Teacher: I suggest you watch one fascinating and interesting cartoon about the friendship of a lion cub and a turtle. I wish you a pleasant viewing!
(Followed by watching the cartoon).

Teacher: Want to see more about some turtle species? Be sure to learn from the presentation.
(View presentation with teacher's comments).
Sample text:
Pond slider- belongs to the family of American freshwater turtles. Translated from Latin means - striated, painted. These small turtles got their name due to the red parotid spot that most representatives of this species have. These turtles are medium in size. They feed on invertebrates, fish, amphibians and their tadpoles, carrion, as well as algae, aquatic and semi-aquatic plants.
Central Asian tortoise- belongs to the family of land turtles. It is about her that they say: “crawls like a turtle”, because compared to water turtles, it is a very slow and clumsy animal. Belongs to the genus of European land turtles. Inhabits desert zones and agricultural regions of Central Asia. Tortoise of medium size, shell length 20-30 cm. The shell is yellowish-brown with dark zones on the scutes. There are four fingers on the forelimbs. They eat plant foods. The Central Asian tortoise chooses habitats near people. It is almost never found in Russia, with the exception of some southern regions.
For preschoolers and students of grade 1, you can conduct a lesson on the development of fine motor skills of the hands.

During the break, you can gymnastics for fingers "Turtle":
Turtle, turtle, (straighten your palms, clench into a fist)
Lives in a shell. (straighten your palms, clench into a fist)
Sticks out the head, (pull out the index finger, put it back)
It will take it back. (Pull out the index finger, put it back)

Finger gymnastics can be repeated several times.

Teacher: I recently visited the local zoo. I recommend everyone to visit it. Both freshwater and land turtles are represented here.
(Photos from the zoo appear on the board).

Municipal budgetary educational institution

"Klenovskaya middle comprehensive school»

Research work on the topic:

Work completed:

Roshina Elena,

4th grade student

M AOU "Kalininskaya SO"

Mikhailovsky district,

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………3-5

1. What genus does my turtle belong to and where does it live?……………..6

2. Who is this male or female?……………………………………………........ 6-7

3. Determining the age of a turtle………………………………………………7

4. What does a turtle eat? ................................................. ...................................7

5. Do tortoises need water? ……………………………………eight

6. At what temperature should a turtle be kept? ………………………….8-9

7. What are the habits of turtles………………………………………………..9

Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………… 10

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..11

Used literature.

Applications……………………………………………………………………….13

Introduction

I have wanted a pet for a long time. Mom and dad did not decide on him for a long time, since it is a big responsibility to look after someone. Once my grandmother gave me a fish for my birthday. But they didn't last long. One day my dad came home and gave me land turtle. I thought that the turtle would not cause much trouble and it was not difficult to take care of it. But when the turtle appeared in the house, we all had many questions and had to solve them. And since I am an inquisitive girl and love to read, I wanted to learn more about turtles and answer questions that interested me.

2. What genus does our turtle belong to and where does it live?

3. Who is this male or female?

4. How old is the turtle?

5. What does a turtle eat?

6. Does a turtle need water?

7. At what temperature should a turtle be kept?

To answer all these questions, we set ourselves the following goals and objectives.

Goals: to study the living conditions of turtles in nature, to study their behavior at home, to draw a conclusion about the correctness of keeping an animal at home.

Tasks: 1. The study of literature on Central Asian turtles.

2. Observation of the turtle during feeding and wakefulness.

3. Generalization of observations of the tortoise.

4. Develop the most optimal care option for the Central Asian tortoise at home.

Research hypothesis: The turtle is an unpretentious animal to care for.

Subject of study: Central Asian tortoise

Object of study: behavior of the Central Asian turtle in room conditions.

I believe that the chosen topic relevant and significant. Many people have at home such animals as cats, dogs, but very few people take care of such exotic animals as turtles at home.

To study the theoretical and perform the practical part of the work, I used the Great Children's Encyclopedia, the book "Land Turtles" by the Aquarium publishing house; about habitats, I learned the genus of my turtle from the encyclopedia "I know the world"; The book "Turtles, lizards, snakes - maintenance, feeding, treatment at home" helped me to learn about nutrition, the maintenance of Central Asian turtles. Used many other books.

To solve the tasks and test the hypothesis, we used

the following research methods: study of literary sources,

observation, experiment (they gave different food, found out what it gives

preference), analysis, generalization.

2.1. What genus does our turtle belong to and where does it live?

Our turtle has a low, rounded brownish-olive shell with blurry black spots 10 centimeters long. The head is olive with a hook-shaped upper jaw. The tip of the tail is pointed. There are 4 claws on the forelimbs - this is hallmark Central Asian tortoises(other turtles have 5 claws).
The Central Asian tortoise is the most popular reptile for home keeping.

The Central Asian tortoise is common in northern and eastern Iran, Afghanistan, northwestern India and northern Pakistan, as well as in southern regions Kazakhstan and in the deserts of Central Asia.

2. Who is this male or female?

To determine whether it is a male or a female, it was necessary to carefully examine it.

After inspection, we determined that our turtle has: a flat plastron, 4 horny tubercles on the back of the thigh, and a not very long tail. All these signs tell us that this is a female.

Males have 1 horny tubercle on the back of the thigh, a slightly concave plastron, and a long and thickened tail towards the base. All of these features are male.

Conclusion: thus, I determined that my turtle is a female and we named her Kira correctly.

Determining the Age of a Turtle.

Annual rings grow on the scutes of the turtle. Like the cut of a tree trunk. From these rings, the age of the tortoise can be determined with relative accuracy. 2 - 3 rings - correspond to one year of the turtle's life.

In order to determine the age of Kira, you need to count the rings on her shields. Now Kira has 14 rings.

14:2 = 7 years.

When I got the turtle, Kira had 10 rings.

10:2 = 5 years.

During the year of a turtle's life, 2 rings grow on its scutes.

So my dad gave me a five-year-old turtle.

Conclusion: My tortoise is now about seven years old.

4. What does a turtle eat?

The main food for turtles is plant foods. Our turtle loves dandelion leaves, fresh grass, cabbage leaves, grated carrots, pieces of apples, bananas.

Food purchased at a pet store, my Kira eats in winter time when there is no fresh grass. I mix 2 teaspoons of food with 2 tablespoons of warm water. When the food absorbs water, I put it in front of Kira. You need to feed the turtle every day - 1 time, preferably at the same time.

5. Do tortoises need water?

In captivity, tortoises need drinking bowls with fresh water. I put a bowl of water on my turtle when I feed it. The turtle doesn't like taking baths very much. Sometimes she drinks water while bathing. I bathe my turtle twice a week with warm water. After bathing, I wipe it with a towel and release it into a box.

6. At what temperature should a turtle be kept?

Turtles are heat-loving animals. It is better to keep a turtle in a terrarium. But at home, it is possible to keep it in a clean, dry box. Sawdust, small pebbles or newspapers are used as bedding.

Optimum temperature content at +20ºС - +30ºС. The Central Asian tortoise is very well adapted to temperature changes. Hibernation in turtles from November to March at temperatures from +3º to +8ºС.

But Kira did not sleep long, about two months. As soon as I moved the box to warm place the turtle woke up.

A sharp temperature drop is very harmful for turtles, so in captivity it is not recommended to lay the turtle for the winter. Now our Kira behaves like a person. She is alert during the day and sleeps at night.

With a turtle you need to walk in the summer. Sunbathing in the fresh air at temperatures of +23ºС and above is very beneficial for turtles, but not direct Sun rays. Kira herself chooses where to sit. But you can not leave the turtle unattended. And then she can quietly and quickly move anywhere. Finding a turtle after that is almost impossible.

7. What are the habits of turtles.

Our turtle has its own habits.

She loves to have her neck and chin stroked. He does not like to swim and swim in the water. She doesn't like being picked up, especially by strangers - Kira hisses and hides her head in her shell.

When she wants to eat, she climbs with her front paws into the feeder and stretches her head, as if asking for food.

If Kira wants to crawl, she asks to be let out of the box. She does it this way. Creeps to the corner of the box and starts scratching the box. It will rustle like that until they let her run on the floor. After that, Kira likes to quietly crawl into secluded corners where no one can get her.

conclusions

Caring for my turtle, I faced many questions: care, nutrition, maintenance. I got answers to my questions from books, searched for answers on the Internet. Watching my pet, I learned that:

The Central Asian tortoise is a favorite pet for humans. Apparently, therefore, we found the necessary information from literary sources.

How to determine the gender and gender of a turtle.

The age of a turtle that has not been bred since birth cannot be precisely determined, but it is approximately determined by the length of the shell and by the rings on its scutes.

The Central Asian tortoise is preferable to cabbage, lettuce, apple, pear, pumpkin, dandelion than to other proposed foods.

The turtle has its own habits.

Conclusion

They say that a turtle is in the house, fortunately, if you don’t believe in signs, get a turtle just like that. To admire her. To take care of her. Caring for someone - isn't that happiness? The turtle, living in warmth and satiety, is active and mobile. She quickly gets used to the owners and knows her own name.

Turtles usually live alone (except for giant tortoises). At home, the turtle does not suffer from loneliness at all.

Keeping a turtle as a pet is very interesting. It is not such an unpretentious and tenacious animal as everyone thinks. Of course, this is not a kitten with which you can run and jump.
I learned responsibility and now I know that if you bought a pet, you need to take good care of him. Try to create all conditions so that the pet lives in the house as long as possible and does not get sick.

People close to me helped in the execution and design of the work: the class teacher and mother Natalya Andreevna suggested the topic of this work, selected the necessary material, helped to draw conclusions and competently draw up the work; assisted in preparing the presentation; helped to take high-quality photos and explore Kira.

In the future, we plan to acquire another type of turtle and study them individual characteristics behavior (habits, eating habits, etc.). We would like to purchase a sea turtle and compare it with a land turtle.

The result of our work was the rules we formulated for caring for the Central Asian tortoise at home. (Appendix A)

Used Books

Land turtles - M., "Aquarium", 2007

"World of Animals" (series "Erudite") - M., OOO TD "World of Books",

"Big Children's Encyclopedia" / translation by A.I. Kim and V.V. Demykina - M., Rosmen - Press LLC, 2007

"I know the world" - Snakes, crocodiles, turtles. - M., 2000

Turtles, lizards, snakes - keeping, feeding, treatment at home. - M., 1999

Animals. Children's illustrated atlas - Belgorod, "Family Leisure Club", 2012

W. Zedlag. Animal world Earth- M., "Mir", 1975.

Igor Akimushkin. The world of animals (birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles) - M., "Thought", 1989

Attachment 1.

Care rules

for the Central Asian tortoise at home

The turtle must be kept in a terrarium or box with sawdust.

Feed once a day, at the same time.

Drink fresh water while feeding.

Bathe 2 times a week with warm water, do not wet your head, wipe with a towel.

Provide hibernation from November to March, reducing the temperature of the content to + 3º - 8ºС.

In summer, walk in the fresh air, sunbathing at a temperature of + 23ºС and above.

I am Knyazeva Ekaterina. I'm 7 years old. I was born and live in the village of Klenovka. I love to read, draw. I like to watch different programs about animals. I also enjoy taking care of my turtle Kira.

State institution "Dokuchaevskaya secondary school of the department of education of the akimat

Altynsarinsky district"

research project

Performed:Abanina Elizabeth

3rd grade student.

Work manager:Abdzhanova Aliya Kasymbekovna

primary school teacher

Dokuchaevskaya secondary school 2016

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………3

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………4

1. Theoretical part………………………………………………………………..5

1.1 Who are turtles? .............................................. .............................................5

1.2. Lifestyle and nutrition of turtles…………………………………………………..5

1.3. What are the types of turtles? .................................6

II .Practical part………………………………………………………………..7

2.1 Central Asian tortoise……………………………………………………….7

2.2. Age of turtles………………………………………………………………….7

2.3 Who is a male or a female? .............................................. ...........................................eight

2.4. Sense organs and hearing...……………………………………..............................8

2.5. Keeping land turtles at home……………………..9

2.6. Turtle nutrition at home………………………………………….10

2.7. Turtle Watching…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2.8. How to care for a turtle…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….13

Memo for caring for a Mediterranean tortoise at home………………………………………………………………………………..15

List of used literature……………………………………………….17

Appendix…………………………………………………………………………….18

Annotation.

This research project is declared in the nomination "The world around us".

The main goal of the project is to learn how to independently acquire scientific knowledge from various sources of information, to be able to use the acquired knowledge to solve practical problems, to learn how to work in a team, which contributes to the development of creative abilities.

The purpose of the work: to study the living conditions of turtles in nature, to investigate their behavior at home, to compare and draw a conclusion about the correctness of keeping an animal at home.

In the process of creating a work"Land turtle at home» the student's presentation of the diversity of turtles is carried out. She studied the literature on this topic, conducted a study and made a conclusion about the correctness of keeping an animal at home. In the course of work, the student turned to the encyclopedia, uses such methods as observation, conversation.

Introduction

My name is Elizabeth. I'm 10 years old. I study in the 3rd grade of Dokuchaevskaya high school. My research project is called Land Turtle at Home.I like animals a lot. I have loved exotic animals since childhood. I read books about animals with interest, watched TV shows. I have always dreamed of having a turtle. And after they bought me a turtle, Lucy, I began to observe the development of my turtle, to be interested in the life of turtles in nature.But now two years have passed, and it seems to me that the turtle has not grown at all. Then the question arose: am I taking good care of her? And I decided to do research and find answers to all the questions that arose.

I believe that the chosen topic is relevant and significant. Because those animals that ended up in our home need to create the most comfortable conditions for existence.

Objective of the project: learn about the origin, species, lifestyle and maintenance of the turtle at home.

Object of study: Central Asian tortoise at home.

Research hypothesis: how the life expectancy of a turtle depends on the care and standards of keeping the animal at home.

Tasks

1. Studying literature about turtles.

2. Observation of the turtle during feeding and wakefulness. 3. Summary of Turtle Observations

4. Drawing up a memo "How to keep a turtle at home."

Research methods :

reading educational literature;

search for information on the Internet;

help from parents and teachers;

analysis

I .Theoretical part.

1.1 What are turtles?

I studied many magazines, encyclopedias about turtles. With the help of adults, I found information about them on the Internet. With interest I watched TV shows that talk about these animals.

Turtles are one of the few ancient inhabitants of the Earth who have survived to this day. Turtles are often referred to as living fossils. This means that the turtles that live today are almost unchanged and very similar to those that lived 50 million years ago. In the old days, the shell of turtles was called a skull, hence the name turtle. Turtles are very different from other animals. They have a hard outer shell, scaly skin, and a keratinized nose. All turtles breathe with lungs and have shells consisting of two parts: outer, or upper, and lower. Through the holes between these two halves, the turtle can stick its head with neck, tail and paws out. The shell serves as protection from external conditions and from enemies.

Scientists say that turtles evolved from primitive reptiles -cotylosaurs. It is worth noting that these animals, like turtles, had a shell and a beak.tortoise type. However, unlike modern turtles, they did not have the ability to retract their heads and limbs into their shells.

Various species of turtles inhabit most of the land and waters of the tropical and temperate zones.

1.2. Lifestyle and nutrition of turtles.

Turtles are solitary and usually only seek companionship during the mating season, although some species may form groups during the winter. Land turtles feed mainly on plant foods, while freshwater turtles, on the contrary, mostly other vertebrates. But both of them willingly include food that seems unusual for them in their diet: herbivorous - animal food, predators - plant food. Among sea turtles there are predatory, herbivorous, and omnivorous species. Many freshwater species turtles in childhood lead a predatory lifestyle, and when they mature, they become herbivorous.

1.3. What are the types of turtles?

Turtles are: sea, freshwater and land. They all have a hard outer shell, scaly skin, and a keratinized nose. They all breathe with lungs and have shells.

The most common type of turtle is the land turtle.Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), named after American biologist Thomas Horsfield. It can be found in clay and sandy deserts with vegetation, in river valleys. The Central Asian tortoise is common in Northern and Eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Northwestern India and Northern Pakistan, as well as in the southern regions of Kazakhstan and in the deserts of Central Asia.

II .Practical part

2.1 Central Asian tortoise.

Having studied with my mother many types of land turtles, we came to the conclusion that our Lucymiddle asian tortoise, also known as steppe turtle. The Central Asian tortoise is the most popular reptile for home keeping. Occasionally it is calledTortoise of Horsfield named after the British explorer. At my turtle the shell is low, rounded, yellowish-brown in color, with vague dark spots; the carapace has 13 horny scutes, the plastron has 16, 25 scutes are located on the sides of the carapace, each of the 13 scutes of the carapace has grooves, usually the number of grooves corresponds to the number of years lived by the turtle (similar to circles on a tree cut). On the front legs of my turtle - 4 fingers,it is a hallmarkCentral Asian tortoises . (Other turtles have 5 fingers).Medium-sized grey-brown headwith a hook-shaped upper jaw,at the slightest danger hides under the shell. The tip of the tail is pointed.Turtles reach sexual maturity: females from 10-12 years old, males from 5-6 years old; Turtles mate from February to August. The duration of pregnancy is 2 months, after which the female lays from 2 to 6 eggs. Incubation at a temperature of 28-30°C lasts 60-65 days. Turtles are born measuring only 3 cm in length and continue to grow throughout their lives. The size of an adult can be 15-25 cm. But, as a rule, they are not very large: males are smaller - 13-20 cm, females are slightly larger than the representatives of the stronger sex - 15-23 cm

2.2. Turtle age.

How to find out the age of turtles?

This question worries many. The horny scutes that cover the shell grow throughout the life of the turtle. On the shields are formedannualrings,like a cut tree trunk. From these rings, you can approximately determine the age of the animal, 2- 3 rings - correspond to one year of the turtle's life. Forto determine the age of my turtle, I measured the shell, its length is 9 cm. The number of rings on the shell is 6. Soshe is still very youngshe is approximately 3 years old. You can also find out the age of a turtle by its size and body weight.

Age

newborn

1 year

2 years

3 years

10 years

Length cm

3-3,5

4,4 -5

5,5-6

7,5 -9

From 15

Weight, grams

10-12

25-35

48-65

95-150

From 150

In nature, they live 40-50 years, and in captivity, 10-15 years.

2.3 Is it male or female?

For research, I took two more turtles from our friends.

After inspection, I determined. What my tortoise Lucy and one of those taken has: a flat plastron, they are about the same size, 4 horny tubercles on the back of the thigh, and a not very long tail. All these signs tell us that these are females. The third turtle is noticeably less than the first two, on the back of the thigh 1 horny tubercle. The plastron is somewhat concave, the tail is long and thickened towards the base. All of these features are male.

Thus, I understood how to determine the sex of turtles.

2.4. Sense organs and hearing.

My Lucy hears very badly. If you approach her from behind so that she does not see, and start talking to her, calling her by name, then she does not turn her head and does not react in any way. This proves that she can hardly hear. Apparently, sounds do not play a leading role in the life of turtles. The ears of turtles are rather primitive. They don't have auricles.Perhaps the reason for the "voicelessness" of turtles is that they generally do not need a voice to protect themselves.

But the turtle sees very well. When someone else approaches the box, she immediately hides her head in a shell. If you release it on the floor and put the food away from it, the turtle easily searches, crawls and starts to eat.Turtles have well-developed color vision, as when looking for food, they are primarily guided by its color, and only then by smell and taste. They are primarily interested in red and green fruits and vegetables, as well as completely inedible objects of this color. For example: my turtle really likes green beads.

The turtle can hold its breath for a very long time. She can starve not only for months, but for whole years. Turtles are unusually tenacious; they endure the most severe wounds relatively easily. The chewing muscles are also unusually developed; my Lucy, clutching a rope or a stick with her mouth, can hang in this position all day long and does not come off even with strong rocking.

2.5. Keeping land turtles at home

Land turtles can be kept in the house. Here they can move freely around a well-heated apartment, live in a terrarium or in enclosures that are easy to keep clean.

The bottom of the aquarium can be filled with soil to a height of 4-6 cm, river gravel or a mixture of rounded pebbles with sifted earth is best suited for soil.

You can not use sand and small sawdust, and also leave the bottom of the terrarium bare. I learned that the turtle must dig the ground - this is its natural need, without these "exercises" it can get sick!

For the pool, you can use a trough that can completely accommodate a turtle. The terrarium must have heating (a 100-watt incandescent lamp for a 100-liter aquarium). The temperature under the "sun" should be about 32 degrees, and in the opposite corner of the terrarium, "in the shade" - about 25 degrees. The turtle needs to bask "in the sun" every day for three hours in the morning and in the evening.

The Central Asian tortoise is very well adapted to temperature changes. Turtles hibernate from November to March at temperatures from +3º to +8ºС. The turtle does not hibernate if kept at the same temperature in both summer and winter. My turtle does not hibernate, but sleeps like a human - at night.

2.6. Turtle food at home.

The main food for turtles is plant food.. Nutrition monitoring. Watching the turtle, I made a table that shows what my turtle eats and what not, and how it behaves. She loves tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, meat, boiled egg, carrot. Bad banana. Doesn't eat apples, flies, special food for turtles, and she didn’t even come close to bread.

Feeding occurs 2-3 times a week, food should not be left in the feeder for more than two hours. The feeder should always be clean, and the food in it should be fresh. Now it became clear to me why my turtle eats so rarely and little.Tortilla food purchased at a pet store can be eaten by turtles in winter when there is no fresh grass.

According to observations, I concluded: the turtle eats 2-3 times a week, preferring fresh vegetables and plant leaves. This means that turtles eat once a day or less. The larger the turtle (more than 15 cm in shell), the less the need for food, because they have a slower metabolism.

Can't feed:

black bread;

river snails;

fish, meat, eggs;

potatoes, cabbage;

nuts;

citrus peel;

porridge and other products from your table;

dry and canned animal feed;

dairy products.

Give in limited quantities:

grape;

cucumber;

onion, garlic, asparagus, herbs.

2.7. Turtle watching.

Watching the turtle from the side, you can say that Lucy is very mobile, curious and cautious. She loves to be talked to and knows how to hide. In summer, the turtle briskly crawls around the apartment and on the grass outside. After the month of October, she moves slowly and sleeps most of the time with her head hidden under her shell.

The same Lucy has her habits. She likes to swim and swim in the water. She does not like being picked up, especially by strangers - she hisses and hides her head in her shell.

When she wants to eat, she raises her front paw up and stretches her head, as if asking for food. The turtle does not like to live in a box, but loves freedom and space. If put in a box, she crawls to the corner of the box and starts scratching it until she is released to run on the floor. After that, she likes to quietly crawl into secluded corners where no one can get her.

2.8. How to care for a turtle

In nature and when properly kept in captivity, the turtle grinds its beak and claws on its own. But, when the turtle is fed soft food and kept on sawdust, the claws and beak grow beyond measure, and they must be trimmed. Having learned this, I realized that I need to watch the claws and beak. When the claws prevent the turtle from moving, my mother and I trim or file the claws, and break off the beak or “bite off” along the edges with a powerful wire cutter.

Turtles periodically molt, only the skin on the head and legs changes. During this period, I bathe in warm water with the addition of 1 tablespoon of soda. After bathing, I lubricate the skin and shell with olive oil.

Turtles cannot live without water. Drinking water should be clean and warm, it is advisable to arrange "bath days" for the turtles once a week, placing them in a bowl of warm water (25-30 degrees) for 1-2 hours.

III .Conclusion

I received answers to my questions from many sources: from books, from friends, I looked for answers to my questions on the Internet. Watching my friend's pet, I learned that she likes what he likes. Turtles are not very beautiful, they do not know how to caress or play, but this does not mean that they can be mistreated or not fed for many days. Turtles need to be cared for just like any other pet.

In the course of his work on the topic "Land turtle at home» I made friends with the turtle, learned even more interesting things about habits and habits, learned to understand it, as well as take care of it on my own.

After my research I did conclusions:

1). The Mediterranean tortoise is unpretentious. It is easy to care for her, but you need to follow the rules of care and maintenance. The turtle is able to survive in artificially created conditions.

2). The behavior of a turtle depends on its diet and the food offered. It is necessary to diversify the turtle's diet according to the recommended diet.

3). In the course of the research, I found out that: a) I properly care for the turtle:

the presence of a terrarium;

feeding the right foods;

compliance with the frequency of feeding;

compliance with the walking regime.

b) I do not comply with all required conditions of detention, I need to:

increase the size of the terrarium;

make changes to the design of the terrarium, namely:

replace hay with soil;

sow oats or wheat;

use a quartz lamp in winter;

diversify the diet and add calcium to food.

I would like to hope that my research work will help curious peers take a different look at such, at first glance, ordinary and familiar, and at the same time, such a mysterious and mysterious land turtle. my research work can be used in the lessons of the world around. This work may be of interest to those who decide to have a land tortoise at home.

And let many adults say that the problematic questions that I tried to answer in my project are childishly naive, and the hypothesis put forward by me makes someone smile, so what, because I'm only 10 years old. I still have everything ahead of me. Perhaps in the near future I will unravel more than one mystery of turtles, or maybe I will get carried away with something else. Thanks to this work, I understood the main thing - "We are responsible for those we have tamed."

While working on a project I:

I learned to plan my work and follow the plan exactly;

I learned how to extract the information I need from various sources and highlight the main thing in it;

gained experience in observing animals, learned to generalize their observations and draw conclusions;

acquired new computer skills.

IV .Reminder for the care of the Mediterranean tortoise at home.

1. The presence of a 0.4 m terrarium 2 , which includes:

soil (peat mixture or garden soil) 5 cm deep;

growing oats or wheat;

quartz lamp;

bath tub.

2.Walking mode:

take out in the sun in summer;

winter use short-term irradiation with quartz lamps.

Winter hibernation for turtles is optional.

3.Power:

vegetables and fruits;

raw and boiled meat;

boiled egg; cottage cheese;

greens;

top dressing with calcium (purchased or in the form of crushed eggshells).

The water must not be dirty. The temperature is about 26-28 C.

What diseases can a turtle suffer from?

If symptoms of illness occur, contact your veterinarian. Keep your turtle out of contact with other pets.

The main diseases of turtles are:

1. Eye diseases .

Symptoms : inflammation of the eyes, swollen eyelids, redness of the mucous membrane of the eyes.

Treatment : bathe the turtle every day in a warm solution of furacilin and create additional warmth for it.

2.Cold diseases.

Cause : low temperature content.

Symptoms : discharge from the nasal passages, vesicles.

Treatment : Raise the temperature of the contents, use an infrared lamp.

3. Damage to the shell .

Cause : a turtle falling from a height.

Treatment : apply antibiotic ointment.

Buying a healthy pet

In order not to run the next day to the veterinarian for a treatment appointment, it is better to immediately buy a healthy turtle. Pay attention to everything:

observe her behavior, activity and coordination of movement;

the appearance must be free of damage and the presence of inappropriate stains;

shell correct form with even shields densely adjoining each other;

the best way to determine if a turtle is healthy is to look into its mouth: the mucosa should be free of plaque, light pink in color and without viscous saliva;

there should be no discharge from the nose.

List of used literature.

1. Biological encyclopedic Dictionary 2nd publishing house. Modern

encyclopedia, 1989

2. Lukyanov M. Modern terrarium its inhabitants.

Citadel Publishing House 2001

Z. Novoselova T.L. Home zoo. Phoenix Publishing, 2006

4. A. Gurzhiy "Popular land turtles"

5. A. E. Chegodaev. Land turtles. - M. : LLC "AQUARIUM LTD", K. : GIPPV; 2002

6. http://enciklopediya.at.ua/children'sencyclopedia

7. http://cherepahi.ru/a site where everything is about turtles and for turtles

Application

Did you know?

1. Turtles have been living on earth for over 200 million years. They appeared before mammals, birds, crocodiles, snakes and even lizards.

2. The earliest turtles had teeth and could not hide their heads in their shells.

3. Most turtles do not like the cold, but there is one species, namely the Blading turtle, which swims under the ice in the Great Lakes region (USA, Canada)

4. Turtles have good eyesight, excellent sense of smell, hearing and touch, besides their shell contains nerve endings.

Myths about turtles:

All turtles are slow

The larger the land tortoise and the heavier its shell, the slower it is. Accordingly, freshwater and sea turtles are quite fast. The sea turtle can reach speeds of up to 35 km/h.

2. All turtles are great swimmers

Only marine, freshwater and some land species swim well. Other terrestrial and even semi-aquatic species can drown in deep water.

3. All turtles live 100+ years

This is not true. Yes, turtles are long-lived, but only land-based giant tortoises, for example, elephants, Galapagos, live up to 100 years or more. "Domestic" turtles (up to 30 cm long) usually live no more than 40-50 years, even with good content, and at bad - and even less. Turtles, 50-70 cm long, live like people up to 70-80 years. That is, the age of the turtle directly depends on the maximum size of this species.

4. All turtles have hard shells.

If a turtle suffers from rickets, then its shell can become soft, that is, squeeze through, which can eventually cause death. Also, the Elastic Turtles have a rather soft shell, which they need to protect themselves from predators (they hide in the cracks between the stones and "inflate", as a result of which the turtle is very difficult to pull out). And in soft-bodied turtles (trionics) and in leatherback turtles, the shell is covered on top not with horny shields, but with more or less keratinized skin

5. Turtles are amphibians

Absolutely wrong. Turtles are reptiles or reptiles, as are snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. Amphibians or amphibians include frogs, toads, newts, salamanders.

6. A turtle can come out of its shell.

Only if it is a semi-decomposed corpse, then the body itself will fall out of the shell. The shell is the fused bones of the ribs and spine. And just as a man cannot get out of his skeleton, so a tortoise cannot get out of his shell.

7. Turtles live on or in the sand

Since there are many species of turtles, they live in the steppes, forest-steppes, forests, ponds, lakes, rivers, seas and even mountains. Even in deserts, turtles do not live on bare sand, but rather a hard layer of soil with a small layer of sand.

8. Turtles are very smart and wise animals.

Most likely, the myth appeared due to the fact that the turtle lives for a long time, which means it is smart, because the knowledge base increases with age. Also false, because reptiles are "smarter" than amphibians, but "sillier" than mammals and even birds. And it has nothing to do with life.

The largest of the turtles is the tortoise that lived in Cretaceous and the sea-dwelling Archelon ischyros.

The size of her discovered skeleton reaches four meters. The possible mass of Archelon ischyros is up to 2.2 tons.

The turtle has a low, rounded brownish-brown shell. yellow color with blurry black spots 15 mm long. The head is light brown with a hook-shaped upper jaw. The tip of the tail is pointed. There are 4 claws on the forelimbs - this is a distinctive featureCentral Asian tortoises .

According to the number of rings on the shell: 2-3 rings are formed in 1 year. To be more precise, you can count several scales and then find the average value.
Rings appear when the turtle is not yet a year old. In very old specimens, the shell becomes especially smooth, like in newborns, and the annual rings turn pale.