Turtles from the Red Book of Russia and the World (photo and description)

Of the abundance of species of aquatic and land turtles, many are on the verge of extinction. This is due to pollution of nature, imbalance of ecosystems, as well as poachers. For protection purposes, many turtles are listed in the Red Book, and they are trying to restore the number of endangered species with the help of nurseries.

Endangered species of Russia

Of the four species living in our country, three were almost exterminated. Red Book turtles of Russia – Central Asian, Far Eastern and marsh.

Central Asian

Land tortoise 15-20 cm long, with a yellow-green shell, numbering 13 horny scutes. Having become very popular for keeping at home, these animals are now almost extinct due to the activity of poachers. Fashionable reptiles were captured and transported for sale by the thousands, with no care at all about proper maintenance. Many individuals died on the way, others died when improperly kept in pet stores or bird markets. The owners, who had turtles at the request of the children, often let the annoying pets go free, not paying attention to unsuitable conditions.

Now Central Asian turtles are difficult to find in pet stores, although the law allows the sale of representatives of the species, bred by nursery specialists. For the sale of such an animal, official documents confirming its origin are required. Also, at nurseries, there are shelters where the owners can hand over the turtle – you can pick up such an animal for free.

Marshland

A small turtle with a round, dark green, smooth shell and very dark, almost black skin with splashes of yellow. The European bog turtle is on the list of vulnerable animals, the number of which is constantly declining. This is due to the deterioration of the environment, the destruction of clutches by predators, and poaching. Many people notice unusual turtles while on vacation in the forest or near water bodies, and take them home.

Today, the marsh turtle is found in the central and southern territories of the European part of Russia, but only small populations are observed everywhere. This puts the species at risk of extinction in case of any sudden climatic changes. The bog turtle is in the Red Book of Russia, as well as many European countries.

IMPORTANT: Swamp is often confused with red-eared, calling this species endangered. On the territory of Russia, the red-eared turtle is an introduced species that does not yet have confirmed wild populations, and for other countries its high abundance is even a threat to the natural balance. But the red-eared turtle from the Red Book does exist – but it is a Colombian subspecies of the popular domestic reptile.

Far Eastern

The most unusual turtle from the Red Book of Russia, known for its proboscis nose, long neck and round flattened shell. Due to their exotic appearance, these animals have also become popular for keeping at home. But the poaching of reptiles and the search for their clutches led to a reduction in the number of the species. In Asian countries, the meat and eggs of these animals are also valued as a delicacy; trionics are bred there on special meat farms. Now reserves have been created on the territory of Russia, where they are trying to increase the number of populations.

Rare species of the world

On our planet, there are many types of turtles listed in the international Red Book:

• marine – green, loggerhead, hawksbill, ridley;

• freshwater – big-headed, Malay, two-clawed, caiman, mountain;

• land – Mediterranean, Balkan, elastic, toothed kinix, forest.

International protection status is given to species whose range extends to different countries of the world. For salvation, the cooperation of organizations of different states is required.

elephant

The most famous turtles in the Red Book are elephant tortoises, which have an impressive body weight. These land reptiles are native to Pinta Island in the Galapagos archipelago. In the past, the very numerous elephant tortoises became popular with seafarers as a source of meat. It was really beneficial to take these reptiles into the sea – they did not require complex maintenance, and their massive bodies provided the necessary proportion of protein in the crew’s diet. Sailors called these slow animals “living canned food.”

The second reason for the extermination was the domestic animals brought to the Galapagos Islands. Horses, goats and cows ate the greens needed for turtles to survive, while dogs and cats searched for and destroyed clutches of eggs that had barely hatched. Now the original species is completely extinct, but scientists are working on attempts to restore the number of related subspecies of this ancient huge reptile.

Green

One of the largest sea turtles living in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, its weight can reach 200 kg. The species is under the threat of extinction due to the pollution of its habitat, as well as the constant ruin of clutches by predatory animals. But humans pose a great danger to this reptile – many centuries ago, its meat was considered a delicacy. Even the name of this species was given by the unusual green fatty layer that cooks saw when they opened the shell. Due to the exquisite taste of meat, the reptile is also called the soup turtle.

As the green turtle species began to decline inexorably, the price of its meat increased many times over, attracting more and more bounty hunters. So the species was almost completely exterminated, only a few thousand individuals survived. After being listed in the Red Book and a ban on hunting, the number of the species can be maintained.