What is the difference between the Chinese pond turtle and the stone slab turtle? A quick guide to telling them apart
Turtles are very cute little animals, and there are many species of them. Among them, the Chinese pond turtle and the stone slab turtle are two common kinds of turtles, both of which are amphibious turtles. So, what is the difference between the Chinese pond turtle and the stone slab turtle?
1. What is the difference between the Chinese pond turtle and the stone slab turtle?
Different appearance: the Chinese pond turtle's carapace is relatively flat and has three longitudinal ridges; the stone slab turtle's carapace has a clearly visible bridge, one longitudinal ridge, and the carapace and plastron are connected by a ligament;
Different color: the Chinese pond turtle's overall color is mainly ink-black, with dark-edged yellow lines and yellow spots on the sides of the head and throat, a brownish-yellow plastron, and a large dark-brown patch in the middle of each scute; the stone slab turtle's overall color is mainly yellow, with a large ink-colored blotch alternating on the outer side of each scute and yellow in the middle.
2. Living habits
1. Chinese pond turtle
The Chinese pond turtle is an aquatic reptile that can also come onto land and crawl. It mainly inhabits rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and other waters. During the day it mostly stays in the water, and when the summer is hot, it gathers in groups to look for shady places. It is gentle in temperament. When it encounters enemies or is frightened, it retracts its head, limbs and tail into its shell. It is an omnivorous animal, feeding on animal-based foods such as small fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, and so on. It has a strong ability to endure hunger, and it will not starve to death even without food for a month. It is a poikilothermic animal. When the water temperature drops below 15°C, it lies still in the mud at the bottom of the water or in loose soil with covering material to hibernate. The hibernation period generally runs from November to early April of the following year. When the water temperature rises to 15°C, it comes out of its burrow and becomes active, and when the water temperature reaches 18°C-20°C it begins to feed. Turtles grow relatively slowly. Under conventional conditions, the growth rate of female turtles is: at one year old the turtle weighs mostly around 15 grams, at two years old 50 grams, at three years old 100 grams, at four years old 200 grams, at five years old 250-350 grams, and at six years old around 400 grams. Male turtles grow slowly, and the largest individual at sexual maturity is generally below 250 grams. Its diet includes snails, shrimp, small fish, and so on. Turtles have a fairly broad diet and will eat corn, small fish, shrimp, snails and so on, among which their favorite foods are small fish and small shrimp.
2. Stone slab turtle
It is also an amphibious turtle, and its growth method is similar to that of the red-eared slider. It loves meat, live shrimp and live fish, as well as animal internal organs. It hibernates when the temperature is below 15°C and begins to eat at 20°C. The food given to it must be small and must not be too large, otherwise it cannot swallow it, since turtles have no teeth. Letting it bask in the sun every day can help it digest. In winter it can hibernate, and the hibernation period is roughly when the temperature is below 10°C (in northern China). First soak it in water at 24 to 25°C for 30 minutes and make it expel all its feces, otherwise it will get sick during hibernation, and the possibility of getting gastrointestinal disease is 60%. In the south, keep it in a cool place and change the water once a week. Just wait until the temperature rises at the end of March.