Red-headed Snake-necked Turtle Species Introduction and Care Highlights

Chinese name: Red-headed Snake-necked Turtle

Geographic distribution: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana and Brazil.

Reproduction: oviparous. Females can be distinguished by the tail (of course, a long and thick tail indicates a male). Mating can occur year-round, and a female can lay 4 to 6 eggs at a time, sometimes far from water.

Habits: side-necked turtles are basically aquatic, but are often found walking on land after rain. The three I keep spend about as much time on land as in water, or even a bit more.

Physical characteristics: side-necked turtles have a fairly flat head and shell. Two keel-like ridges running the length of the oval carapace form a groove in the middle of the carapace. These twin ridges are quite distinctive. The carapace color of my three side-necked turtles is brown of varying shades with black stripes. The plastron is uniformly dark brown or black, and the pale yellow edges extend all the way to the marginal scutes. The head is dark orange-red, and the neck has tiny wart-like bumps that gradually become fewer and smaller from top to bottom. The head has no scales and is smooth on top. The rest of the skin is deep black, and the limbs are covered with large black scales. Its limbs and toes lead people to associate it with semi-aquatic turtles. Adult side-necked turtles can reach about 6 inches (15cm).

Diet: when they grab a piece of meat, fish or an insect, they use their front claws to tear the food apart, just like their other turtle relatives. They also jerk their heads to one side, using this peculiar motion to help with feeding.

Care: overall, side-necked turtles adapt fairly well to captivity. But their behavior and body condition may appear quite weak, to the point of being thought to be near death.