Painted turtles are most vulnerable to predators when young. Nests are frequently ransacked and the eggs eaten by garter snakes, crows, chipmunks, thirteen-lined ground and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red fox, and humans. The small and sometimes bite-size, numerous hatchlings fall prey to water bugs, bass, catfish, bullfrogs, snapping turtles, three types of snakes (copperheads, racers and water snakes), herons, rice rats, weasels, muskrats, minks, and raccoons. As adults, the turtles' armored shells protect them from many potential predators, but they still occasionally fall prey to alligators, ospreys, crows, red-shouldered hawks, bald eagles, and especially raccoons.
Predators
Painted turtle
Painted turtle | Predators
Garter snakes, crows, chipmunks, thirteen-lined ground and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red fox, and humans. Nests are frequently ransacked and the eggs eaten by garter snakes, crows, chipmunks, thirteen-lined ground and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red fox, and humans. Nests are frequently ransacked and the eggs eaten by garter snakes, crows, chipmunks, thirteen-lined ground and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red fox, and humans. Yes, garter snakes, crows, chipmunks, thirteen-lined ground and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red fox, and humans.
how long does it take for painted turtles to hatch
user
Hatched turtles grow until sexual maturity: 2–9 years for males, 6–16 for females.
assistant
where are they most commonly found?
user
North America
assistant
and what is their preferred domain of habitation?
user
It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific
assistant
who labelled this species for the first time?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
what do they mostly feed on?
user
It also consumes plants and skims the surface of the water with its mouth open to catch small particles of food.
assistant
are they preyed on by other animals?
user
Painted turtles are most vulnerable to predators when young. Nests are frequently ransacked and the eggs eaten by garter snakes, crows, chipmunks, thirteen-lined ground and gray squirrels, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, badgers, gray and red fox, and humans. The small and sometimes bite-size, numerous hatchlings fall prey to water bugs, bass, catfish, bullfrogs, snapping turtles, three types of snakes (copperheads, racers and water snakes), herons, rice rats, weasels, muskrats, minks, and raccoons. As adults, the turtles' armored shells protect them from many potential predators, but they still occasionally fall prey to alligators, ospreys, crows, red-shouldered hawks, bald eagles, and especially raccoons.
Painted turtle | Predators
The painted turtle hunts along water bottoms. It quickly juts its head into and out of vegetation to stir potential victims out into the open water, where they are pursued. The turtle holds large prey in its mouth and tears the prey apart with its forefeet. It also consumes plants and skims the surface of the water with its mouth open to catch small particles of food. Although all subspecies of painted turtle eat both plants and animals, their specific diets vary.
Painted turtle | Diet
Painted turtles defend themselves by kicking, scratching, biting, or urinating. In contrast to land tortoises, painted turtles can right themselves if they are flipped upside down.
Painted turtle | Predators
Its skin is olive to black with red, orange, or yellow stripes on its extremities. The subspecies can be distinguished by their shells: the eastern has straight-aligned top shell segments; the midland has a large gray mark on the bottom shell; the southern has a red line on the top shell; the western has a red pattern on the bottom shell. The turtle eats aquatic vegetation, algae, and small water creatures including insects, crustaceans, and fish. Although they are frequently consumed as eggs or hatchlings by rodents, canines, and snakes, the adult turtles' hard shells protect them from most predators.
Painted turtle | Introduction
Eggs and young turtles are hunted by skunks, raccoons, birds, and fish.
Plymouth red-bellied turtle | Predators
In the West, several predators of youngling painted turtles have been introduced into waters where they never roamed before: bass, snapping turtles, and bullfrogs. Examination of bullfrogs and bass in Montana shows they are consuming few painted turtles. Snapping turtles may have more impact and, in Oregon, aggressive trapping has been done to remove them. In urban areas, increased egg-eating raccoons, foxes, and coyotes, as well as feral dogs or cats, may impact painted turtles. Some cities have experimented with nest enclosures to screen out predators.
Conservation of painted turtles | Introduced species
Many ambush predators actively attract their prey towards them before ambushing them. This strategy is called aggressive mimicry, using the false promise of nourishment to lure prey. The alligator snapping turtle is a well-camouflaged ambush predator. Its tongue bears a conspicuous pink extension that resembles a worm and can be wriggled around; fish that try to eat the "worm" are themselves eaten by the turtle. Similarly, some reptiles such as "Elaphe" rat snakes employ caudal luring (tail luring) to entice small vertebrates into striking range. The zone-tailed hawk, which resembles the turkey vulture, flies among flocks of turkey vultures, then suddenly breaks from the formation and ambushes one of them as its prey.
Ambush predator | Aggressive mimicry
Turtle surveys near busy roads showed that males strongly outnumbered females. This suggests most road casualties were nesting females. Males roaming for mates or changing waters from drought could usually find water routes to move along, but the females had to come on land to lay eggs. In addition to direct killing, roads impact some painted turtles indirectly by isolating populations genetically.
Conservation of painted turtles | Roadkill
Large prey can include other species of caiman, deer, peccaries, tapirs, anacondas, giant otters, and domestic animals including pigs, cattle, horses and dogs. Although rare fatal attacks on cougars or even jaguars have been reported, very little evidence exists of such predation, and cats are likely to avoid ponds with black caimans, suggesting that adults of this species are higher in the food chain than even the jaguar. Where capybara and white-lipped peccary herds are common, they are reportedly among the most common prey item for large adults. Evidence has suggested fairly large river turtles can be counted among the prey of adult black caimans, the bite force of which is apparently sufficient to shatter a turtle shell.
Black caiman | Hunting and diet
For commercial harvesting, collectors use either basking traps or hoop traps. The basking trap is a floating enclosures with sloping sides and a basking surface. Turtles are able to climb up the sloping sides onto the basking surface, but then when they jump off into the center, they can't get back out. Hoop traps are cylindrical mesh traps with a funnel opening. Hoop traps are submerged and turtles are attracted by bait. In Minnesota, trappers say that they prefer basking traps to target painted turtles and hoop traps for "meat" turtles (snapping turtles and softshell turtles). Minnesota harvest records also show a clear pattern of most painted turtles coming from basking traps and most softshell and snapping turtles from hoop traps.
Capture of painted turtles | Methods
As the male is smaller than the female, he is not dominant. Although not directly observed, evidence indicates that the male will inflict injury on the female in attempts of coercion. The female stores sperm, to be used for up to three clutches, in her oviducts; the sperm may remain viable for up to three years. A single clutch may have multiple fathers.
Painted turtle | Mating
Painted-snipes are omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates and seeds. Animal prey taken includes annelid worms, snails, aquatic and marsh insects, and crustaceans. The seeds of grasses such as millet and rice are also consumed, and may form a major part of the diet of some populations.
Painted-snipe | Feeding
Leatherback turtles face many predators in their early lives. Eggs may be preyed on by a diversity of coastal predators, including ghost crabs, monitor lizards, raccoons, coatis, dogs, coyotes, genets, mongooses, and shorebirds ranging from small plovers to large gulls. Many of the same predators feed on baby turtles as they try to get to the ocean, as well as frigatebirds and varied raptors. Once in the ocean, young leatherbacks still face predation from cephalopods, requiem sharks, and various large fish. Despite their lack of a hard shell, the huge adults face fewer serious predators, though they are occasionally overwhelmed and preyed on by very large marine predators such as killer whales, great white sharks, and tiger sharks.
Leatherback sea turtle | Predation
An obvious threat to painted turtles comes from habitat loss by drying of wetlands. Even when water remains, the turtles may be impacted by the clearing of logs or rocks that provide basking sites. Also, clearing of shorelines' vegetation may make allow more predator access, or increased human foot traffic, which make onshore basking untenable. Away from the water, urbanization or vegetation-planting, even for stream restoration, can remove the open sunny soils needed for nesting.
Conservation of painted turtles | Habitat loss
The "C. colorata" is primarily preyed upon by leatherback turtles that inhabit the area. They are selected as prey due to the high concentrations of carbon and nitrogen in their four oral arms. They are particularly nutrient-dense during the post-upwelling season, which is when the leatherback concentration in the area is at its highest.
Chrysaora colorata | Predation
Searching for water, food, or mates, the painted turtles travel up to several kilometers at a time. During summer, in response to heat and water-clogging vegetation, the turtles may vacate shallow marshes for more permanent waters. Short overland migrations may involve hundreds of turtles together. If heat and drought are prolonged, the turtles will bury themselves and, in extreme cases, die. Foraging turtles frequently cross lakes or travel linearly down creeks. Daily crossings of large ponds have been observed. Tag and release studies show that sex also drives turtle movement. Males travel the most, up to , between captures; females the second most, up to , between captures; and juveniles the least, less than , between captures.
Painted turtle | Movement
Based on tracks around kill sites, bite marks and shell damage it has been determined that the main predators of the K. hirtipes are racoons and feral pigs. Not surprisingly, both racoons and pigs are known to hunt several other species of turtle. These turtles seem to be relatively "immune" to predation but are at the highest risk when coming out of the water to nest.
Rough-footed mud turtle | Predation
Known predators of olive ridley eggs include raccoons, coyotes, feral dogs and pigs, opossums, coatimundi, caimans, ghost crabs, and the sunbeam snake. Hatchlings are preyed upon as they travel across the beach to the water by vultures, frigate birds, crabs, raccoons, coyotes, iguanas, and snakes. In the water, hatchling predators most likely include oceanic fishes, sharks, and crocodiles. Adults have relatively few known predators, other than sharks, and killer whales are responsible for occasional attacks. On land, nesting females may be attacked by jaguars. Notably, the jaguar is the only cat with a strong enough bite to penetrate a sea turtle's shell, thought to be an evolutionary adaption from the Holocene extinction event.
Olive ridley sea turtle | Threats
It also feeds on organisms encrusting the leaf blades of turtle grass ("Thalassia testudinum"). When threatened it often hides beneath the extended tentacles of the sun anemone ("Stichodactyla helianthus").
Mithraculus sculptus | Behaviour
In the spring, when the water reaches , the turtle begins actively foraging. However, if the water temperature exceeds , the turtle will not feed. In fall, the turtle stops foraging when temperatures drop below the spring set-point. During the winter, the turtle hibernates. In the north, the inactive season may be as long as from October to March, while the southernmost populations may not hibernate at all. While hibernating, the body temperature of the painted turtle averages . Periods of warm weather bring the turtle out of hibernation, and even in the north, individuals have been seen basking in February.
Painted turtle | Seasonal routine and hibernation
Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks. During winter, the turtle hibernates, usually in the mud at the bottom of water bodies. The turtles mate in spring and autumn. Females dig nests on land and lay eggs between late spring and mid-summer. Hatched turtles grow until sexual maturity: 2–9 years for males, 6–16 for females.
Painted turtle | Introduction
The abundant painted turtle species is captured from the wild, primarily for pet use. Commercial harvesting is a small-scale industry that faces growing restrictions, but still occurs, in some cases unconstrained. Recreational harvesting, is generally allowed in much of the species range. However, it is prohibited in areas where the species is threatened and in a few non-threatened locations. Generally, turtles are captured by live trapping. Floating basking-style traps work better than staked, baited hoop-style traps, but both are employed. Because the turtles are long-lived, with lower replacement rates than typical game, concerns exist for over-harvesting. In this, they are similar to species such as snapping turtles, with late-aged sexual maturity, albeit not to the same extent.
Capture of painted turtles | Introduction
Even swift-flying birds and bats may be snatched if close to the surface of water, as well as wading birds while these are patrolling the shore looking for food, even down to the size of a common sandpiper ("Actitis hypoleucos"). Mammalian prey of juveniles and subadults are usually as large as the smaller species of ungulates, such as the greater mouse-deer ("Tragulus napu") and hog deer ("Hyelaphus porcinus"). Prey species recorded include primate species such as crab-eating macaques ("Macaca fascicularis"), proboscis monkeys ("Nasalis larvatus"), and gibbons. It preys on agile wallabies ("Macropus agilis"), golden jackals ("Canis aureus"), viverrids, turtles, flying foxes ("Pteropus"), hares ("Lepus"), rodents, badgers, otters, chevrotains and pangolins.
Saltwater crocodile | Hunting and diet
Commercial harvesting of painted turtles in the wild is controversial and, increasingly, restricted. Wisconsin formerly had virtually unrestricted trapping of painted turtles but based on qualitative observations forbade all commercial harvesting in 1997. Neighboring Minnesota, where trappers collected more than 300,000 painted turtles during the 1990s, commissioned a study of painted turtle harvesting. Scientists found that harvested lakes averaged half the painted turtle density of off-limit lakes, and population modeling suggested that unrestricted harvests could produce a large decline in turtle populations. In response, Minnesota forbade new harvesters in 2002 and limited trap numbers. Although harvesting continued, subsequent takes averaged half those of the 1990s.
Painted turtle | Capture
According to Petco, the animals are described as being somewhat unsuitable for children as they do not enjoy being held. Hobbyists have kept turtles alive for decades. The painted turtle is sometimes eaten but is not highly regarded as food, as even the largest subspecies, the western painted turtle, is inconveniently small and larger turtles are available. Schools frequently dissect painted turtles, which are sold by biological supply companies; specimens often come from the wild but may be captive-bred. In the Midwest, turtle racing is popular at summer fairs.
Painted turtle | Pets and other uses
With the species existing in very limited areas with high human traffic, these turtles have become dependent upon visitors for feeding. Visitors tend to feed a mixture of grains, fruits, and various meat products. These interactions with direct feeding have created a dependence for these turtles on the people, since this species no longer has a need for hunting. This had made it hard to determine the natural diet of the species. However with the ability to consume the foods provided by the people, their diet is commonly compared to that of other species within the same genus. These organisms are on the omnivore scale of the food consumption, consisting of plants and small animals like fish and worms.
Black softshell turtle | Diet
The flatback sea turtle is preyed upon by both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. The terrestrial predators it must face are foxes, feral dogs, and pigs. The aquatic predators to this turtle are sharks. The hatchlings also face predation from crabs, birds, and small crocodiles on their journey to the waters. Once in the water, the hatchlings can be preyed upon by fish and even sharks. Due to their large size when they are born and their strong swimming skills, the likelihood of capture is lowered.
Flatback sea turtle | Predators
The hardest freezes nevertheless kill many hatchlings. Immediately after hatching, turtles are dependent on egg yolk material for sustenance. About a week to a week and a half after emerging from their eggs (or the following spring if emergence is delayed), hatchlings begin feeding to support growth. The young turtles grow rapidly at first, sometimes doubling their size in the first year. Growth slows sharply at sexual maturity and may stop completely. Likely owing to differences of habitat and food by water body, growth rates often differ from population to population in the same area. Among the subspecies, the western painted turtles are the quickest growers.
Painted turtle | Growth
The northern caracara is a carnivorous scavenger that mainly feeds on carrion, but does occasionally eat fruit. The live prey they do catch is usually immobile, injured, incapacitated or young. Prey species can include small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, crabs, insects, their larvae, earthworms, shellfish and young birds. Bird species that are culled can range from large, colonial nesting birds such as storks and herons to small passerines. Reptiles taken often including snakes, lizards and small freshwater turtles as well as young American alligators. This species, along with other caracaras, is one of few raptors that hunts on foot, often turning over branches and cow dung to reach food.
Northern crested caracara | Behavior
Trapping is not allowed in Oregon, where western painted turtle populations are in decline, and in Missouri, where there are populations of both southern and western subspecies. In Canada, Ontario protects both subspecies present, the midland and western, and British Columbia protects its dwindling western painted turtles.
Painted turtle | Capture
Several states describe a practice of wanton shooting of turtles "for fun" (two studies of this have been done) and prohibit it, or prohibit even deliberate taking with firearms. Use of chemicals or explosives is also generally disallowed. Because other, less numerous, turtle species may be more heavily protected, methods of collection are restricted to allow the release of protected species.
Capture of painted turtles | Methods
Males move the most and are most likely to change wetlands because they seek mates. The painted turtles, through visual recognition, have homing capabilities. Many individuals can return to their collection points after being released elsewhere, trips that may require them to traverse land. One experiment placed 98 turtles varying several-kilometer distances from their home wetland; 41 returned. When living in a single large body of water, the painted turtles can home from up to away. Females may use homing to help locate suitable nesting sites.
Painted turtle | Movement
They feed on insects, crustaceans, molluscs and seeds.
Greater painted-snipe | Food and feeding
A cold-blooded reptile, the painted turtle regulates its temperature through its environment, notably by basking. All ages bask for warmth, often alongside other species of turtle. Sometimes more than 50 individuals are seen on one log together. Turtles bask on a variety of objects, often logs, but have even been seen basking on top of common loons that were covering eggs. The turtle starts its day at sunrise, emerging from the water to bask for several hours. Warmed for activity, it returns to the water to forage. After becoming chilled, the turtle re-emerges for one to two more cycles of basking and feeding.
Painted turtle | Daily routine and basking
Hatchling and young tortoises are at high risk of predation. Tegu lizards ("Tupinambis" species), ring-tailed coatis ("Nasua nasua"), and introduced rats and mongooses attack nests and eggs. Many predators take the young tortoises, including large lizards, snakes, crocodilians, and even large turtles; predatory birds such as the curassow ("Crax" species), guan ("Penelope" species), rails, cuckoos, and falcons; and mammals such as cats (Felidae species), opossums, foxes, peccaries, and feral dogs. Other than humans, the main predators of the adult tortoises are jaguars ("Panthera onca"). Red-footed and yellow-footed tortoises seem to be a significant food source for jaguars in some parts of their respective ranges, such as Manú National Park in Peru.
Red-footed tortoise | Predators
The spotted turtle is an active hunter: seeking out prey items in the water by pointing its head into aquatic plants. It feeds at temperatures above , which in its range corresponds to roughly the middle of March onward until September. It is omnivorous and eats exclusively in the water, consuming plant material including aquatic vegetation, green algae, and in at least one instance, wild cranberries. Animal food includes aquatic insect larvae, worms, slugs, millipedes, spiders, crustaceans, tadpoles, salamanders, and several genera of small fish. These items are consumed alive or dead but always in the water. Some of the insects commonly found in with the spotted turtle's stomach contents are terrestrial, suggesting the turtle moves onto land to hunt.
Spotted turtle | Diet
Commercial harvesting of painted turtle from the wild is controversial and, increasingly, restricted. Worldwide, many turtle species are endangered and turtle trapping has been implicated as a cause. Since turtles are slow to sexually mature and are long-lived, they generally have poor replacement rates when hunted. Wisconsin formerly had virtually unrestricted trapping of painted turtles, but in 1997, based on qualitative observations, forbid all commercial harvesting. "Based on what I have seen over the years, I believe that turtle densities are way down," said Wisconsin state herpetologist Robert Hay. In 1999, Minnesota, prompted by the Wisconsin decision and the growth of painted turtle capture in the 1990s, commissioned quantitative study of the state's painted turtles.
Capture of painted turtles | Commercial harvesting
In observations of jaguar attacks, the cats consumed the neck muscles of the turtle and occasionally the flippers, but left the remainder of the turtle carcass for scavengers as most likely, despite the strength of its jaws, a jaguar still cannot easily penetrate an adult turtle's shell to reach the internal organs or other muscles. In recent years, increased predation on turtles by jaguars has been noted, perhaps due to habitat loss and fewer alternative food sources. Sea turtles are comparatively defenseless in this situation, as they cannot pull their heads into their shells like freshwater and terrestrial turtles. Females are often plagued by mosquitos during nesting.
Olive ridley sea turtle | Threats
Spiny softshell turtles have few natural predators including, large predatory fish, raccoons, herons, skunks, red foxes, and occasionally humans. Their nests are often destroyed by raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Young softshell turtles are eaten by raccoons, herons, and large fish; adults, on the other hand, are killed and eaten only by humans. Being shy creatures they will quickly dive and hide under mud and sand to avoid predators.
Gulf Coast spiny softshell turtle | Predators
Loggerheads have numerous predators, especially early in their lives. Egg and nestling predators include ghost crabs, oligochaete worms, beetles, fly larvae, ants, flesh flies, snakes, gulls, corvids, opossums, bears, rats, armadillos, mustelids, skunks, canids, procyonids, cats, pigs, and humans. During their migration from their nests to the sea, hatchlings are preyed on by dipteran larvae, crabs, toads, lizards, snakes, seabirds such as frigatebirds, and other assorted birds and mammals. In the ocean, predators of the loggerhead juveniles include portunid crabs and various fishes, such as parrotfishes and moray eels. Adults are more rarely attacked due to their large size, but may be preyed on by large sharks, seals, and killer whales.
Loggerhead sea turtle | Predators
They sometimes fall prey to other animals such as squid, fish like grenadiers and chub mackerels, and prions.
Gigantocypris | Appearance and behavior
The female weighs around on average, against the males' average adult weight of roughly . The female's greater body volume supports her egg-production. The male has longer foreclaws and a longer, thicker tail, with the anus (cloaca) located further out on the tail.
Painted turtle | Description
The painted turtles mate in spring and fall in waters of . Males start producing sperm in early spring, when they can bask to an internal temperature of . Females begin their reproductive cycles in mid-summer, and ovulate the following spring. Courtship begins when a male follows a female until he meets her face-to-face. He then strokes her face and neck with his elongated front claws, a gesture returned by a receptive female. The pair repeat the process several times, with the male retreating from and then returning to the female until she swims to the bottom, where they copulate.
Painted turtle | Mating
After a two-year study, Gamble and Simon found a clear pattern of harvested lakes having half the painted turtle density of off-limits lakes. They also modeled the painted turtles' replacement rate and suggested that unrestricted harvest put the populations in danger of dropping strongly. In 2002, Minnesota forbid new harvesters and limited trap numbers, although harvest did continue by old harvesters. From 2002 to 2005, the most recent recorded, the yearly Minnesota painted turtles harvests were half the average size of that in the 1990s.
Capture of painted turtles | Commercial harvesting
The predators that feed on "T. rhombus" include various species of ommastrephid squids, dolphin fish, lancet fish, tuna, swordfish, "Gempylus serpens", and sharks. Other predators include mammals such as dolphins, rough-toothed dolphin, false killer whale and sperm whale.
Thysanoteuthis rhombus | Predation
Painted storks feed in groups in shallow wetlands, crop fields and irrigation canals. The maximum success of finding prey was at 7 cm of water depth at Keoladeo-Ghana National Park. They feed mainly on small fish which they sense by touch while slowly sweeping their half open bill from side to side while it held submerged. They walk slowly and also disturb the water with their feet to flush fish. They also take frogs and the occasional snake. They forage mainly in the day but may forage late or even at night under exceptional conditions. After they are fed they may stand still on the shore for long durations.
Painted stork | Behaviour and ecology
The coloration and shape of the carapace, head, and feet help conceal this species of turtle from Amazon predator species. Naturally, twist-necked individuals prefer amphibian eggs and consume various insects, mollusks (snails and slugs), amphibians, and some plant life through terrestrial and aquatic foraging. In captivity, specimens can flourish on reptile food, vegetables, insects, worms, and even fish. "P. platycephala" is likely to be found in shallow pools and can inhabit dry areas for long periods of time. Several individuals can even become heavily parasitized by leeches (81 suckers found on one turtle) during the dormant dry season and suffer accordingly.
Twist-necked turtle | Ecology
Coyotes dine largely on rodents but also eat fruits, reptiles, insects, small mammals, birds, and carrion. Bobcats and bullsnakes hunt smaller animals, such as deer mice and white-tailed antelope squirrels in the park's riparian zones. Western pipistrelle bats feast on insects, and pallid bats eat beetles, centipedes, cicadas, praying mantises, scorpions, and other arthropods. On the Painted Desert rim, small animals find food and shelter among the denser foliage, and mule deer sometimes frequent the area. More than 16 kinds of lizards and snakes live in various habitats in the park and consume large quantities of insects, spiders, scorpions, other reptiles, and small mammals.
Petrified Forest National Park | Fauna
Some jaguars also prey on livestock such as horses, cattle, and llamas. In the Arizona mountains, a jaguar killed and fed on an American black bear ("Ursus americanus"). Its bite force allows it to pierce the shells of armored reptiles and turtles. It bites into the throat of South American tapir ("Tapirus terrestris") and other large prey until the victim suffocates. It kills capybara by piercing its canine teeth through the temporal bones of the capybara's skull, breaking its zygomatic arch and mandible and penetrating its brain, often through the ears. This may be an adaptation to "cracking open" turtle shells; armored reptiles may have formed an abundant prey base for the jaguar following the late Pleistocene extinctions.
Jaguar | Hunting and diet
Jaguars bite at the carapace and work at cracking or prying it apart to extract the soft tissues. Many tortoises show toothmarks from attacks that they survived, often on the hind end when they were otherwise protected in a burrow or shelter.
Red-footed tortoise | Predators
Once the turtles have hatched and dug their way from the nest chamber they face a variety of predators while they travel overland to water; these can include birds and lizards in addition to feral foxes and cats. Many young turtles also die from dehydration if they fail to reach the water in time, and some are killed whilst trying to cross roads. Once they reach the water they are subject to more predators such as fish. In the disjunct Queensland populations, the main predator of hatchlings is the spotted barramundi.
Chelodina expansa | Predators
The painted wood turtle feeds on fruit, insects, and worms. Their diet should consist of 60% leafy greens, 30% protein, and 20% fruits and vegetables. Along with a varied diet, they require additional calcium to insure healthy shell growth. Unlike aquatic turtles, the painted wood turtle doesn't require water in order to swallow its food.
Painted wood turtle | Diet
It is thought that some species of "Onchopristis" may have migrated up rivers to breed. At the height of the breeding season, piscivores like "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus" may have preyed upon the them.
Onchopristis | Predators
Based on comparative measurements of turtles from throughout the range, they subordinated species to subspecies and eliminated "treleasei". Since at least 1958, the subspecies were thought to have evolved in response to geographic isolation during the last ice age, 100,000 to 11,000 years ago. At that time painted turtles were divided into three different populations: eastern painted turtles along the southeastern Atlantic coast; southern painted turtles around the southern Mississippi River; and western painted turtles in the southwestern United States. The populations were not completely isolated for sufficiently long, hence wholly different species never evolved. When the glaciers retreated, about 11,000 years ago, all three subspecies moved north.
Painted turtle | Classification
Jaguars have been reported to smash into sea turtle shells with their paws, and scoop out the flesh. Fibropapillomatosis disease causes tumors in sea turtles.
Sea turtle | Predators and disease
Boating traffic near basking sites can disturb painted turtles. Some turtles die inadvertently on fisherman's hooks—the turtles are noteworthy for stealing bait. Oregon is considering stream access modifications to reduce wanton shooting.
Conservation of painted turtles | Other concerns
Note that due to their size, these small turtles are highly vulnerable to predation, particularly during their frequent terrestrial wanderings. Many specimens will show mutilation injuries and scars from past predation attempts. Raccoons ("Procyon lotor") are particularly adept at consuming and killing this species. Spotted turtles have been observed to dive into the water and bury themselves in the bottom mud when surprised while basking. Muskrats kill many spotted turtles during the winter dormant period.
Spotted turtle | Ecology and behavior
Within much of its range, the painted turtle is the most abundant turtle species. Population densities range from 10 to 840 turtles per hectare (2.5 acres) of water surface. Warmer climates produce higher relative densities among populations, and habitat desirability also influences density. Rivers and large lakes have lower densities because only the shore is desirable habitat; the central, deep waters skew the surface-based estimates. Also, lake and river turtles have to make longer linear trips to access equivalent amounts of foraging space. Adults outnumber juveniles in most populations, but gauging the ratios is difficult because juveniles are harder to catch; with current sampling methods, estimates of age distribution vary widely.
Painted turtle | Population features
However, this species has been observed to consume beetles and dragonflies that have fallen into the river. Upon examination of both female and male stomach matter, Lahanas found a distinction of food material percentages. Males had roughly 58% animal matter and 40% plant matter, while females had 70% animal matter and 29% plant matter. The three primary sources of animal matter came from freshwater sponges, bryozoans, and mollusks. The only plant matter found was a freshwater alga.
Black-knobbed map turtle | Habitat and ecology
Artiodactyls have different natural predators depending on their size and habitat. There are several carnivores that would prey on such animals, including as large cats (e.g., lions) and bears. Other predators are crocodiles, wolves, large raptors, and for small species and young animals, large snakes. Parasites include nematodes, botflies, fleas, lice, or flukes, but they have debilitating effects only when the infestation is severe.
Even-toed ungulate | Predators and parasites
The painted turtle hibernates by burying itself, either on the bottom of a body of water, near water in the shore-bank or the burrow of a muskrat, or in woods or pastures. When hibernating underwater, the turtle prefers shallow depths, no more than . Within the mud, it may dig down an additional . In this state, the turtle does not breathe, although if surroundings allow, it may get some oxygen through its skin. The species is one of the best-studied vertebrates able to survive long periods without oxygen. Adaptations of its blood chemistry, brain, heart, and particularly its shell allow the turtle to survive extreme lactic acid buildup while oxygen-deprived.
Painted turtle | Seasonal routine and hibernation
As all frogfishes, "A. pictus" is a voracious carnivore which can attack all small animals that pass within its "strike range", mainly fishes, but even sometimes congeners. Its prey can be close to its own size.
Painted frogfish | Feeding
Many aggressive mimics use the promise of nourishment as a way of attracting prey. The alligator snapping turtle ("Macrochelys temminckii") is a well-camouflaged ambush predator. Its tongue bears a conspicuous pink extension that resembles a worm and can be wriggled around; fish that try to eat the "worm" are themselves eaten by the turtle. Similarly, some snakes employ caudal luring (using the tail) or lingual luring (using the tongue) to entice small vertebrates into striking range. Aggressive mimicry is common amongst spiders, both in luring prey and stealthily approaching predators. One case is the golden orb weaver ("Nephila clavipes"), which spins a conspicuous golden coloured web in well-lit areas.
Aggressive mimicry | Appearance of food
Beyond snakes and lizards, there are a few cases of red-tailed hawks preying on baby or juvenile turtles, i.e. the gopher tortoise ("Gopherus polyphemus"), the desert tortoise ("Gopherus agassizii") and the common snapping turtle ("Chelydra serpentina").
Red-tailed hawk | Reptiles
To thrive, painted turtles need fresh waters with soft bottoms, basking sites, and aquatic vegetation. They find their homes in shallow waters with slow-moving currents, such as creeks, marshes, ponds, and the shores of lakes. The subspecies have evolved different habitat preferences.
Painted turtle | Habitat
Feeding on their decorative algae also occurs mostly at night and is taken from their bodies rather than their legs. Both behaviors contribute to the maintenance of camouflage.
Notomithrax ursus | Other information
Due to its tiny size, this tortoise is heavily preyed on by crows, ostriches, jackals, baboons, dogs, and a wide range of other predators. Consequently, it spends most of its time hiding under rocks, foliage, and other cover. It lays a clutch of 2–4 eggs, which hatch 150–320 days later – usually on a misty, overcast day.
Homopus areolatus | Distribution and habitat
As of 2009, painted turtles faced virtually unlimited harvesting in Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma; since then, Missouri has prohibited their harvesting. Individuals who trap painted turtles typically do so to earn additional income, selling a few thousand a year at $1–2 each. Many trappers have been involved in the trade for generations, and value it as a family activity. Some harvesters disagree with limiting the catch, saying the populations are not dropping. Many U.S. state fish and game departments allow non-commercial taking of painted turtles under a creel limit, and require a fishing (sometimes hunting) license; others completely forbid the recreational capture of painted turtles.
Painted turtle | Capture
Much has been written about the different factors that harm the painted turtle. Essentially all factors are unquantified and at most only some inferences of which factors are more relatively severe are described.
Conservation of painted turtles | Introduction
Other food sources included turtles, mosasaurs, ichthyodectes, and other bony fishes and sea creatures. Tooth marks from this shark have also been found on the bones of "Pteranodon", but whether the shark actively snatched such large pterosaurs out of the air, attacked them as they dove after prey, or was simply scavenging is not known.
Squalicorax | Description
Yellow-blotched map turtles feed mostly on insects, but are opportunistic feeders, so also consume crustaceans, fish, and some fresh plant matter.
Yellow-blotched map turtle | Diet
At night, the turtle drops to the bottom of its water body or perches on an underwater object and sleeps. To be active, the turtle must maintain an internal body temperature between . When fighting infection, it manipulates its temperature up to 5 °C (8 °F) higher than normal.
Painted turtle | Daily routine and basking
This eye spot also confuses prey, which can then be sucked into its mouth. Its primarily eats smaller fish, especially schooling fish such as sardines. Occasionally it eats squid and cuttlefish.
John Dory | Prey and predators
The painted turtle ("Chrysemys picta") is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The turtle is the only species of the genus "Chrysemys", which is part of the pond turtle family Emydidae. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. Four regionally based subspecies (the eastern, midland, southern, and western) evolved during the last ice age. The adult painted turtle female is long; the male is smaller. 5-6" The turtle's top shell is dark and smooth, without a ridge.
Painted turtle | Introduction
Nesting females have been preyed upon by jaguars in the American tropics. The adult leatherback has been observed aggressively defending itself at sea from predators. A medium-sized adult was observed chasing a shark that had attempted to bite it and then turned its aggression and attacked the boat containing the humans observing the prior interaction. "Dermochelys" juveniles spend more of their time in tropical waters than do adults. Adults are prone to long-distance migration. Migration occurs between the cold waters where mature leatherbacks feed, to the tropical and subtropical beaches in the regions where they hatch. In the Atlantic, females tagged in French Guiana have been recaptured on the other side of the ocean in Morocco and Spain.
Leatherback sea turtle | Predation
Belostomatids are aggressive predators that stalk, capture, and feed on fish, amphibians, as well as aquatic invertebrates such as snails and crustaceans. The largest species have also been found to capture and feed on baby turtles and water snakes. They often lie motionless at the bottom of a body of water, attached to various objects, where they wait for prey to come near. They then strike, injecting a venomous digestive saliva with their rostrum. Although their bite is excruciatingly painful, it is of no medical significance. Occasionally, when encountered by a larger animal, such as a human, they have been known to "play dead" and most species can emit a fluid from their anus.
Belostomatidae | Feeding and defense
The South American painted-snipe is omnivorous, feeding by probing in mud and shallow water for small animals and seeds, often at dusk.
South American painted-snipe | Feeding
"Corytophanes cristatus" feeds on insects, spiders, worms, and other lizards. These organisms are extreme "sit and wait" predators and their foraging is brief and infrequent. Therefore, these lizards are considered to be opportunistic feeders. They are also specialist feeders that prey on extremely large arthropods and cicadas when available. If the lizard has no luck being a sit and wait predator, they will sometimes become active predators and look for their next meal. Typically, if this is the method they choose they will choose prey that is slow and easy to capture.
Smooth helmeted iguana | Diet
It is found in Mexico (from Sonora southwards) and Central America, as far south as Costa Rica.
Painted wood turtle | Distribution
"T. merriami" generally lived in a manner similar to condors, although its larger bill suggests that it was a more active predator. Prey up to the size of a small rabbit would probably have been swallowed more or less whole, while carrion would have been fed on in a manner similar to that of condors or vultures. The large number of finds in the La Brea Tar Pits were usually considered to be from teratorns which were attracted by Pleistocene megafauna that became stuck and died in the viscous asphalt while trying to drink from pools of water that gathered on the surface, with the teratorns subsequently falling victim to the sticky deposits too.
Teratornis | Paleobiology
border, mostly in the southeast. In British Columbia, populations exist in the interior in the vicinity of the Kootenai, Columbia, Okanagan, and Thompson river valleys. At the coast, turtles occur near the mouth of the Fraser and a bit further north, as well as the bottom of Vancouver Island, and some other nearby islands. Within British Columbia, the turtle's range is not continuous and can better be understood as northward extensions of the range from the United States. High mountains present barriers to east–west movement of the turtles within the province or from Alberta. Some literature has shown isolated populations much further north in British Columbia and Alberta, but these were probably pet-releases.
Painted turtle | Western painted turtle
Other natural predators which have reportedly preyed on adults include coyotes, American black bears, American alligators and their larger cousins, alligator snapping turtles. Large, old male snapping turtles have very few natural threats due to their formidable size and defenses, and tend to have a very low annual mortality rate. These turtles travel extensively over land to reach new habitats or to lay eggs. Pollution, habitat destruction, food scarcity, overcrowding, and other factors drive snappers to move; it is quite common to find them traveling far from the nearest water source. Experimental data supports the idea that snapping turtles can sense the Earth's magnetic field, which could also be used for such movements (together with a variety of other possible orientation cues).
Common snapping turtle | Ecology and life history
In one study conducted in Louisiana, 79.8% of the stomach contents of adult alligator snapping turtles was found to be composed of other turtles, although the resistance of shell and reptile-bone fragments to digestion may have led these fragments to remain longer in the digestive tract than other items. This species may also, on occasion, prey on aquatic rodents, including nutrias and muskrats or even snatch small to mid-sized other mammals, including squirrels, mice, opossums, raccoons, and armadillos when they attempt to swim or come near the water's edge. The alligator snapping turtle seemingly most often hunts at night. It may also hunt diurnally, however.
Alligator snapping turtle | Diet
They feed mainly on mollusks, insects, carrion, and vegetation.
Texas map turtle | Diet
Painted wood turtles live in rainforests, shallow rivers and bushes. Although they are mostly terrestrial, they can occasionally be found in shallow water.
Painted wood turtle | Habitat
The wasp then seals the spider in its burrow and flies off to search for more hosts. The wasp egg hatches into a larva and feeds on the spider's inessential parts, and as it approaches pupation, it consumes the remainder. Other arthropods, such as large scorpions and giant centipedes, are also known to prey on tarantulas. Tarantulas are also preyed upon by a wide variety of vertebrates. Many of these, including lizards, frogs, birds, and mammals, are generalist predators of all kinds of large arthropods. Mammals that have been known to prey on tarantulas, such as the coati, kinkajou, and opossum in the New World, and mongooses and the honey badger in the Old World, are often immune to the venom of their arthropod prey.
Tarantula | Predators
Coati predators include jaguarundis, anacondas, maned wolves, boa constrictors, foxes, dogs, tayras, ocelots, and jaguars. Large raptors, such as ornate hawk-eagles, black-and-chestnut eagles, and harpy eagles, also are known to hunt them. White-headed capuchin monkeys hunt their pups.
Coati | Natural predators
"B. lecheguana" is a prey target for a number of animals. The lizard "Tupinambis teguixin" is known to prey on this wasp, having easy access to its nests since they are low to the ground and easily accessible. A number of birds are suspected to prey on "B. lecheguana", although there are relatively few documentations of this in the literature. Also, the army ant "Eciton dulcius" is reported to prey on this wasp. Another source of predation is by asilids, or robber flies.
Brachygastra lecheguana | Predators
The introduced red fox ("Vulpes vulpes") and ravens ("Corvus" spp.) are the major threat to the nests of the broad-shelled river turtle. Predation of nests by feral foxes along the Murray River is in excess of 93% which means there is little recruitment of young turtles into an ageing population. As turtles are long lived animals, and adults are still commonly seen in the wild, this can lead people to falsely believe that the population is still healthy. Other nest predators include monitor lizards, ibis and feral pigs. Predation on nests is the main challenge for "C. expansa", however it is thought that the turtle becomes aware of predators, mostly from olfactory and visual signs.
Chelodina expansa | Predators
Incubation lasts 72–80 days in the wild and for a similar period in artificial conditions. In August and September, the young turtle breaks out from its egg, using a special projection of its jaw called the egg tooth. Not all offspring leave the nest immediately, though. Hatchlings north of a line from Nebraska to northern Illinois to New Jersey typically arrange themselves symmetrically in the nest and overwinter to emerge the following spring. The hatchling's ability to survive winter in the nest has allowed the painted turtle to extend its range farther north than any other American turtle. The painted turtle is genetically adapted to survive extended periods of subfreezing temperatures with blood that can remain supercooled and skin that resists penetration from ice crystals in the surrounding ground.
Painted turtle | Growth
The introduction of non-native species is another threat to the painted turtle. Red-eared sliders are the most common pet turtle and are native to the US Southeast only. They have been widely released (or escaped) and have established breeding populations in many parts of the painted turtle range, including Canada. They are a similar species in size and habits to the painted turtle, so they may be added competition, but the impact is uncertain. In the eastern United States, the painted turtle already shares territory with yellow-bellied and Cumberland sliders (which mix readily with red-eared sliders), so there, the pet-released invasions are less likely to be a significant new threat.
Conservation of painted turtles | Introduced species
Zoologists have repeatedly compared aggressive mimicry to the wolf in sheep's clothing strategy of fable, including when describing jumping spiders, lacewings, ant-mimicking aphids, hemipteran bugs mimicking chrysomelid beetles, bird-dropping spiders, orchid mantises, cichlid fish, and the zone-tailed hawk which flies with vultures, enabling it to approach terrestrial prey. These animals have evolved to deceive their prey by appearing as other prey, or like angler fish and snapping turtles lure the prey by appearing as the prey's prey.
Aggressive mimicry | Wolf in sheep's clothing
By day, it may try to attract fish and other prey by sitting quietly at the bottom of murky water and letting its jaws hang open to reveal its tongue appendage, which looks like a small, pink, worm in the back of its gray mouth, and lure the prey into striking distance. The vermiform tongue imitates the movements of a worm, luring prey to the turtle's mouth. The mouth is then closed with tremendous speed and force, completing the ambush. Although the turtle does not actively hunt its prey, it can detect chemosensory cues from prey, like the mud turtle in order to choose the location in which it is most likely to catch food.
Alligator snapping turtle | Diet
"C. h. monticollaris" feeds mainly on small mammals. It uses its camouflage to stalk its prey and initially disorients its victim with a blitz strike. It then surrounds its prey with its coils and weakens it by biting repeatedly. The victim is finally killed by constriction and swallowed at leisure. It may also prey upon birds, frogs, lizards and other snakes as well, but shows a high preference towards small mammals. It is notorious for its voracious appetite. Captive specimens prefer mice and tend to lose interest in lizards especially if the lizards remain motionless.
Coelognathus helena monticollaris | Diet
They will move the prey into shallower areas of water, surround the prey, and wave their front legs to prevent them from escaping. Once surrounded, the mata mata turtles will open their mouths and contract their pharynx, causing a rush of water that pushes the prey into their mouth.
Mata mata | Diet
Most sea turtle mortality happens early in life. Sea turtles usually lay around 100 eggs at a time, but on average only one of the eggs from the nest will survive to adulthood. Raccoons, foxes, and seabirds may raid nests or hatchlings may be eaten within minutes of hatching as they make their initial run for the ocean. Once in the water, they are susceptible to seabirds, large fish and even other sea turtles. Adult sea turtles have few predators. Large aquatic carnivores such as sharks and crocodiles are their biggest threats; however, reports of terrestrial predators attacking nesting females are not uncommon.
Sea turtle | Predators and disease
Wied's marmoset is eaten by birds of prey (the harpy eagle, the gray hawk, the roadside hawk and the white-tailed hawk), felines (the jaguar, jaguarundi and ocelot) and snakes.
Wied's marmoset | Natural Predators
Preferring to hunt by ambush, it probably spends much of its life motionless, waiting for prey to wander by. Froesch (1967) described a captive specimen that would hardly ever leave its hide box, even when hungry, and once waited for three days for a live mouse to enter its hide box before striking. Feeding mainly on small mammals, but in wetland habitats, it is also known to take toads, frogs and even fish. One long-term captive specimen, regularly fed killed mice and frogs, always held on to its prey for several minutes after a strike before swallowing. It generally feeds on smaller prey than the closely related Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica)
Bitis nasicornis | Feeding
Most turtles that spend most of their lives on land have eyes positioned to look down at objects in front of them. Some aquatic turtles, such as snapping and soft-shelled turtles, have eyes closer to the top of the head. These species can hide from predators in shallow water, where they lie entirely submerged except for eyes and nostrils. Near their eyes, sea turtles possess glands that produce salty tears that rid their body of excess salt absorbed from the water they drink. Turtles have rigid beaks and use their jaws to cut and chew food. Turtles appear to have lost their teeth about 150–200 million years ago.
Turtle | Head
Nesting is done, by the females only, between late May and mid-July. The nests are vase-shaped and are usually dug in sandy soil, often at sites with southern exposures. Nests are often within of water, but may be as far away as , with older females tending to nest further inland. Nest sizes vary depending on female sizes and locations but are about deep. Females may return to the same sites several consecutive years, but if several females make their nests close together, the eggs become more vulnerable to predators. The female's optimal body temperature while digging her nest is .
Painted turtle | Egg-laying