Now this is the time to introduce our test subjects to our beloved readers! For 'Adopt A Life' project, we decided to adopt two small freshwater terrapins (or small turtles, if you prefer) and raise them for the next 14 weeks. We bought these two small animals from a local pet shop.
Say hello to Leo and Raph!
Say hello to Leo and Raph!
Friends stay together.
Close-up of our pet.
We could not pin-point the exact species of our terrapins, so we could not provide the specific species name. However since it is anatomically very close to the tortoise/turtle family, our study will focus on that group of reptiles.
Here's a fun question: what is the difference between tortoise, turtle, and terrapin?
Well, scientists group all these animals under one name: Chelonian, animals that have bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs, acting as shields.
But for the rest of us, the difference is just practically lingual. In the North America, 'turtle' is used to refer to all three. For the United Kingdom (and the rest of the English-speaking world), turtle is used to refer to sea-dwelling species. Tortoise is used for any land-dwelling, non-swimming chelonian. Terrapins are used to refer to the smaller version of these animals (like ours).
From left: turtle, tortoise, terrapin.
Anatomically, with the exception of size, they are all similar. The most striking characteristic is the shell, in which they can retract their heads and limbs into to protect them from predators, or just for shelter. When they swim in the water, they propel through the water by using the limbs. All of them can survive in and out of water, and all of the species are herbivores.
We also bought terrapin food for Leo and Raph. The food consists of soft, small pellets so the terrapins can easily chew them. They are made from fish meal, soy flour, wheat flour, oat flour and shrimp.
Food for champions.
That's all for today folks! See you next time :D
