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European Pond Turtle
Emys orbicularis, length of shell: about 20 cm, weight: about 1 kg, length of life: 90-120 years
European Pond Turtle is the only living ferae naturae water turtle in Poland. It likes basking in the sun, however when it is too hot, the turtle stays in the water.
Its development is very slow – at the age of 8, it weighs hardly about 80 g. When the offspring is born, its length equals 3-3,5 cm, while its weight is about 5 g. Male turtles breed at the age of 12 and females at the age of 20 for the first time.
Such late sexual maturity and low fertility, or destruction of natural habitat of pond turtles by men at the same time, can have disastrous consequences for this species.
European Pond Turtle is very rare species having been under strict protection since 1935.
