Biology:Giant musk turtle
| Giant musk turtle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Staurotypus salvinii in an aquarium | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Family: | Kinosternidae |
| Genus: | Staurotypus |
| Species: | S. salvinii
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| Binomial name | |
| Staurotypus salvinii Gray, 1864
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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The giant musk turtle (Staurotypus salvinii) , also known commonly as the Chiapas giant musk turtle or the Mexican giant musk turtle , is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is found in Central America.
Geographic range
S. salvinii is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, western Honduras, and Mexico (Chiapas and Oaxaca).[3]
Habitat
The giant musk turtle prefers to inhabit slow-moving bodies of freshwater such as reservoirs, and rivers with soft bottoms and ample vegetation.[4]
Etymology
The specific name, salvinii, honors English naturalist and herpetologist Osbert Salvin.[5]
Description
S. salvinii is typically much larger than other species of Kinosternidae, attaining a straight carapace length of up to 38 cm (15 inches), with males being significantly smaller than females. It is typically brown, black, or green in color, with a yellow underside. The carapace is distinguished by three distinct ridges, or keels which run its length. The giant musk turtle tends to be quite aggressive, agile and energetic.[3]
S. salvinii exhibits XX/XY sex determination, in contrast to the temperature-dependent sex determination of most turtles.[6]
Diet
Like other musk turtle species, S. salvinii is carnivorous, eating various species of fishes, crustaceans, smaller turtles, insects, mollusks, and carrion. The giant musk turtle's feeding technique is to open its mouth rapidly leading to a powerful inrush of water which sucks the prey into its mouth.[3]
Reproduction
References
- ↑ "Appendices | CITES". https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php.
- ↑ Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2): 260–261. ISSN 1864-5755. http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/851.pdf. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bonin, Franck; Devaux, Bernard; Dupré, Alain (2006). Turtles of the World. (Translated by Peter C. H. Pritchard). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 416 pp. ISBN:978-0801884962.
- ↑ Ernst, Carl H.; Barbour, Roger W. (1989). Turtles of the World. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution Press. https://archive.org/details/turtlesofworld00erns. 313 pp. ISBN:978-1560982128.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN:978-1-4214-0135-5. (Staurotypus salvinii, p. 232.)
- ↑ Badenhorst, Daleen; Stanyon, Roscoe; Engstrom, Tag; Valenzuela, Nicole (2013-04-01). "A ZZ/ZW microchromosome system in the spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera, reveals an intriguing sex chromosome conservation in Trionychidae" (in en). Chromosome Research 21 (2): 137–147. doi:10.1007/s10577-013-9343-2. ISSN 1573-6849. PMID 23512312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-013-9343-2.
- ↑ Species Staurotypus salvinii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
External links
- Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). Staurotypus salvinii . 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.
Further reading
- Gray JE (1864). "Description of a New Species of Staurotypus (S. salvinii ) from Guatemala". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1864: 127–128.
Wikidata ☰ Q646900 entry
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