Common Aquatic Turtle Species

1 Well-Known Aquatic Turtles

Hawksbill: a famous marine turtle about 0.6 m long, with large individuals reaching 1.6 m. Its carapace is glossy brown-red. It lives in subtropical seas like Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, around coral reefs, bays, and estuaries, eating fish, shrimp, crabs, mollusks, and algae. A fast swimmer with a very hard shell, it has few natural enemies, yet heavy human hunting has made it rare.

Chinese pond turtle: aquatic but also crawls onto land, living in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and ponds. It stays in water by day and gathers in shade in hot summers. Mild-tempered, it retracts head, limbs, and tail when threatened. An omnivore fond of small fish, snails, shrimp, and clams, it is a popular pet.

Pig-nosed turtle: a strangely shaped freshwater turtle with a long, fleshy, pig-like snout. It lives in rivers, estuaries, lakes, swamps, and ponds, eating fish, shrimp, and aquatic insects. It stays in deep water except to lay eggs and is a strong swimmer that can even swim backward.

Alligator snapping turtle: the larger of the snapping turtles, also called the true snapping turtle. It inhabits rivers, lakes, ponds, and swamps, preying on snails, shrimp, fish, water birds, and water snakes. It tolerates fresh to slightly brackish water and rarely leaves the water except when females crawl out to nest.

Map turtle: named for the obvious central keel that gives it a serrated ridge. Varieties differ in habitat, but most prefer rivers and moderate to fast streams.

Musk turtle: lives in large springs, streams, oxbow lakes, swamps, and rivers; a typical omnivore eating plants, crustaceans, small fish, and insects. It feeds on the muddy bottom and rarely leaves the water. Among these, the Chinese pond turtle and map turtle are the more popular pet turtles.