The vulture turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is native to the freshwater waters of North America. In the wild, its populations are found in the southeastern states of the United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Habitat and lifestyle
The vulture turtle lives in the large rivers of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. Such as Mississippi and Missouri. And also in their tributaries, lakes, swamps and canals associated with them. Adult turtles prefer deep places. Cubs can live in shallow bodies of water.
Vulture turtles spend most of their time in the water. Only females go far on land during the nesting period. Turtles can stay under water for 40-50 minutes without surfacing for air.
Vulture turtles are carnivorous. Their diet is based on fish, shellfish and other turtles. They also eat frogs, snakes, snails, worms, crustaceans, insects and aquatic plants. They can dine on medium-sized rodents: nutria, squirrels, muskrats and others.
These turtles also do not disdain carrion. Play an important role in freshwater ecosystems. They carry out the mission of cleaners, “orderlies of rivers and lakes”.
Turtles hunt, most often at night. However, they can do it during the day. True, in a very original way. The turtle lies on the bottom, opens its mouth and moves its tongue, similar to a worm. The seduced victim itself swims into her mouth.
Interesting Facts
The Latin name for the vulture turtle is Macrochelys temminckii. It is named after the Dutch aristocrat and zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck, the initiator and first director of the Natural History Museum in Leiden.
Macrochelys temminckii is the largest of the freshwater turtles. Adult turtles weigh between 68 and 80 kilograms. The length of their shell is from 40.4 to 80.8 centimeters. Males are usually larger than females.
Some specimens reach much larger sizes. Unverified reports indicate that a vulture turtle weighing 183 kilograms (403 lb) was caught in Kansas in 1937. It is known that a 16-year-old giant weighing 113 kg (249 lb) lived in the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. In 1999, as part of a breeding program, he was transferred to an aquarium in Tennessee, where he soon died. Another giant, weighing 107 kg (236 lb), was kept at Brookfield Zoo in the suburbs of Chicago.
The lifespan of vulture turtles is not exactly known. It is believed they can live up to 200 years. A more likely figure is between 80 and 120 years. In captivity, they usually live for 20 to 70 years.
