How many live turtles in captivity and wildlife

Buying in the bird market or pet storea small turtle, we hope that we will be able to bequeath it to our grandchildren - we have heard that these ancient terrestrial and aquatic reptiles live long, as in a fairy tale. But two or three years pass, and our pet dies. In fact, how many years live turtles? There is no unambiguous answer to this question. The lifespan of these reptiles largely depends on the species, and their species number on the planet Earth is about 270 (seven of them live in our country).

Appearing somewhere in the Mesozoic era (about220 million years ago), they reluctantly made concessions to evolution and appeared before our eyes almost the same as their ancestors at the time when there were no birds or mammals on earth. However, this "prehistoric" view did not prevent these armored clumsy creatures from colonizing the whole earth: they live on all continents, except perhaps Antarctica. Animals prefer, of course, warm latitudes, because the shell is a bad protection from the cold. But it was possible to see sea turtles in the Baltic, Barents and even in the Bering Sea! They have mastered all the oceans, live in freshwater rivers and lakes, swamps and, of course, on land. But how many live turtles, it is difficult to calculate.

All these reptiles are unusually tenacious. A wounded individual with a shaved head can crawl for dozens of days, and one copy with a remote brain safely lived without it for six months. It is thanks to its ancient origins and genealogy proximity to dinosaurs, which, as modern scientists discovered, did not have a single life center, the turtles quickly recover after the injuries received and are resistant to infections. Of course, these are not worms that can grow themselves lost parts of the body, but nevertheless, these reptiles amaze us with their amazing vitality. So how many live turtles on average?

The age of the species is documentedMarion, who lived at the naval base of France on the island of Mauritius, 152 years. However, scientists assure, this age is not a limit for this species: marion can live happily up to 200 years, if, of course, they create the most favorable conditions for them. In the monasteries of Jerusalem, the chronicles of the life of the monastery were kept. Studying the detailed life of the brotherhood and the "domestic animals" that have become attached to it, one can make an approximate idea of ​​how many live turtles of the Mediterranean species - on average about 120 years. The life path of Balkan turtles is somewhat shorter - 90 years. A red-eared turtle, found in freshwater reservoirs, can only last up to 50 years.

Observations of animals conducted in zoosall over the world, help to establish how many turtles live in captivity. The records of longevity in the first place set huge kinds of turtles: the giant tortoise - 180 years, the elephant - 150, and the so-called "shporonosnaya" - about 115 years. But in the "Guinness Book" came only the same beauty from the Seychelles, which survived more than one generation of French sailors on the island of Mauritius, - more than 152 years. The record age of the largest turtle of the earth - gigantic leathery - nobody knows, because the animal is very rare.

Unfortunately, all the long-standing record holders in thisshell family are classified as water. And in our apartments, as a rule, live as pets turtles land - small individuals, the shell of which does not exceed several decimeters in diameter. The lifespan of these reptiles is largely dependent on care for them. The owners must provide the animals with not only a well-balanced feed (including fresh ones), not only to increase the daylight hours for domestic workers with the help of a special heat lamp, but also to ensure that the turtle moves a lot. A healthy lifestyle is the pledge of your pet's longevity, and if properly cared for, it can live to 50 years.