Some turtles never stop growing and in the end, as a rule, long life reaches several meters in length. But there are still few giants among them, and some species are very tiny and can easily fit in the palm of your hand. In this article we will talk about the smallest turtles in the world. What are their names? What do they look like? Where do they live?
Sizes of turtles
Turtles are one of the reptile squads, whose representatives appeared more than 220 million years ago. Slow and slow, they nevertheless do an excellent job of surviving in the wild. All this is due to the strong shell that covers their body, able to withstand loads 200 times the body weight of its owner.
Turtles have mastered both water and land space, spreading in all climatic zones from temperate to tropical zones. Inhabitants of land and seas, as a rule, are larger than the species that inhabit ponds, swamps and other fresh water bodies. Record sizes in the world reach sea leather turtles, or loot. Their body length can reach up to 2.5 meters, and weight - up to 900 kilograms. The elephant or Galapagos species is also quite large. Its representatives live on land and reach 1.2-1.8 meters in length, while they weigh about 300 kilograms.
Among the smallest turtles, Cape, Lock and Musk turtles are usually listed. Their sizes rarely exceed the length of two matchboxes, and the weight ranges from 100 to 300 grams. The smallest turtles for the house - the animals are very comfortable. They do not require a lot of space, which means that they will not have to build bulky aviaries or aquariums, occupying half of the living space. That is why they are often bred as pets.
Musk turtles
Musk species belong to the silt family. They live in the fresh waters of the United States and southeastern regions of Canada. They got their name thanks to the musk glands directly under the shell, emitting a characteristic smell in case of danger. Ordinary musk turtles have a gray-green color with white longitudinal stripes on the neck. In young individuals, a ribbed carapace, which eventually becomes smooth and semicircular. Small musky appearance has a spotty skin color with dark stripes on the head.
These are some of the smallest turtles on the planet. The upper part of their carapace is usually from 10 to 14 centimeters, and in newborn babies - only 2-3 centimeters in length. Turtles live for about 20-30 years, hibernating in the cold season. They do not require complicated care and are popular pets.
