Skip to main content

Chinese Softshell Turtle

Image
By

The Chinese softshell turtle is a species of turtle which is found mainly in China, Korea, Japan, North Vietnam and Russia. It was first described by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann in 1835.

It is also referred to as the Asiatic soft-shelled turtle. Today it is commercially cultivated in China, and used mainly for food. But total population is decreasing gradually. Read some more information about this turtle below.

Chinese Softshell Turtle Characteristics

The Chinese softshell turtle is a small to medium sized turtle. It is called 'softshell' because it's carapace lacks horny scutes (scales). It has webbed feet for swimming. Their carapace is leathery and pliable, particularly at the sides. The central part of the carapace has a layer of solid bone beneath it, as in other turtles, but this is absent at the outer edges.

The light and flexible shell of the Chinese softshell turtle allows them move more easily in open water, or in muddy lake bottoms. In terms of coloration, the carapace of these turtles is olive in color and may have dark blotches. The plastron is of orange-red color, and may also have large dark blotches.

The limbs and head are olive dorsally with the forelimbs lighter and the hind-limbs orange-red ventrally. The throat is mottled and there may be small, dark bars on the lips.

There are dark flecks on the head and dark lines that radiate from the eyes. A pair of dark blotches is found in front of the tail as well as a black band on the posterior side of each thigh. On an average, the Chinese softshell turtle can reach a carapace length of around 1 feet, and they can weight up to 6 kg.

The males are generally smaller in size than the females, and the females also have a slightly domed carapace. Photo and info from Wikipedia.

chinese softshell turtle, about chinese softshell turtle, chinese softshell turtles, chinese softshell turtle appearance, chinese softshell turtle breeding, chinese softshell turtle care, caring chinese softshell turtle, chinese softshell turtle color, chinese softshell turtle characteristics, chinese softshell turtle eggs, chinese softshell turtle facts, chinese softshell turtle for meat, chinese softshell turtle farms, chinese softshell turtle farming, chinese softshell turtle history, chinese softshell turtle info, chinese softshell turtle images, chinese softshell turtle meat, chinese softshell turtle origin, chinese softshell turtle photos, chinese softshell turtle pictures, chinese softshell turtle rarity, raising chinese softshell turtle, chinese softshell turtle rearing, chinese softshell turtle size, chinese softshell turtle uses, chinese softshell turtle varieties, chinese softshell turtle weight, raising chinese softshell turtle for food

Feeding

The Chinese softshell turtle is largely carnivorous. It's regular feed includes fish, worms, crustaceans and insects. But they can also eat leaves and seeds of marsh plants.

Breeding

The Chinese softshell turtle generally reach maturity within their 4-6 years of age. The mating generally occurs from March to September (they mate from May to July in Japan).

They mate at the surface or under water. A male will hold the female's carapace with it's forelimbs and may bite at her head, neck and limbs. The females may retain sperm for almost a year after copulation.

The females generally lay between 8 and 30 eggs in a clutch, and they may lay from 2 to 5 clutches each year. The females lay eggs in a nest that is about 3-4 inches across at the entrance.

Eggs are spherical and average about 20 mm in diameter. The eggs generally hatch after an incubation period of about 60 days (which can be longer or shorter depending upon temperature).

Uses

The Chinese softshell turtle is cultivated mainly for food. It has a great economical value in it's native area.

Special Notes

The Chinese softshell turtle is the most commonly raised species in China's turtle farms. It is an important food source in some Asian cuisines, and is extensively farmed.

It is mainly value for it's flesh which is widely consumed throughout it's range. It has also been introduced to man-made aquatic habitats in many parts of Southeast Asia.

These turtles are predominantly aquatic in habits, and are rarely seen out of water. Their natural diet comprises a wide range of aquatic invertebrates, fishes and vegetation.

The Chinese softshell turtle generally live in freshwater and brackish water. In China, they are found in lakes, ponds, rivers, canals and creeks with slow currents.

And they are found in marshes and drainage ditches in Hawaii. Currently, total population of these turtles is decreasing gradually.

And the wild populations are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. However, review full breed profile of the Chinese softshell turtle in the table below.

NameChinese Softshell Turtle
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderTestudines
FamilyTrionychidae
GenusPelodiscus
SpeciesP. sinensis
Binomial NamePelodiscus sinensis
Other NamesAsiatic soft-shelled turtle
Breed PurposeMainly food
WeightCan reach up to 6 kg of live body weight
Special NotesLargely carnivorous, their main feed includes fish, worms, crustaceans and insects, today raised mainly for food, and it is an important food source in some Asian cuisines, generally lives in freshwater or brackish water, today total population is decreasing gradually
Breeding MethodNatural
Climate ToleranceNative climates
Body ColorThe carapace of these turtles is olive in color and may have dark blotches
RarityCommon
AvailabilityMainly China, also Japan, Korea and Russia
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Murray Grey Cattle

By
The Murray Grey cattle are a breed of beef cattle from Australia. It was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales. The breed was developed in 1905 from an initial chance mating of a black Aberdeen Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow during the Federation drought. From these matings the resulting thirteen dun-grey calves were kept as curiosities. And then Peter and Ena Sutherland bred them on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales. Murray Grey cattle grew faster and were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. These are the reasons this animals become very popular after their development. And local farmers became interested soon in these animals and began breeding them. The first large scale commercial farms were established in the 1940s. Today the breed is available in many countries. Both live Murray Grey cattle and embryos have been exported to many countries such as Canada, South America, New Ze...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sorting Cattle

By
Sorting cattle is important if you have a large number of animals. For better management you will need to separate the animals into different groups depending on their age, size, gender or condition score. If some cattle of your herd need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness, then separation may also need to be done. Sorting is also needed for separating the calves that need to be weaned from their mothers. And separating the bulls is also necessary after they have done their duty with breeding cows. Sorting Cattle Sorting cattle is not actually a difficult task. It can be done easily if you understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behavior. However, here we are describing more about the ways of sorting cattle. Sorting From a Squeeze Chute In this system you can move your cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. In this system you can check and process animals f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Andalusian Black Cattle Farming

By
Andalusian Black cattle farming is not too popular, even in it's native area. It is a relatively rare breed which is valued for meat production. But today, the breed is listed as 'endangered', and total number of the breed is very less. The Andalusian Black cattle is a taurine cattle breed, and it was originated in west Andalusia, Spain. It is also known by some other names such as Negra de las Campiñas, Negra Campiñesa and Spanish: Negra Andaluza. The Andalusian Black cattle is actually a beef cattle breed which is raised primarily for meat production purpose. The breed is found in two main areas of west Andalusia (from Cordova to the foothills of the Sierra Morena), and in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva. Today, total population of the Andalusian Black cattle breed is very less. And there were about 800 purebred cattle in the year of 2007. Total number of this breed decreased mainly for crossbreeding with other local cattle breeds. Other reason...
Post a Comment
Read more

Belted Galloway Cattle Farming

By
Belted Galloway cattle farming is popular, especially in it's native area. It is a beef cattle breed and raised mainly for meat production purpose. The breed is also known by some other names such as Beltie, Oreo Cow and Panda Cow. The Belted Galloway cattle breed was originated from Galloway in the west side of Southern Scotland. It is a heritage breed, and is well adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and wildswept moorlands of the region. Exact origins of the breed are unclear. But it is often surmised that the white belt of the breed may be a result of cross breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. And the breed is named so mainly because of the belt. An association for the breed named the Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921 in Scotland. And the name of the association was changed to Belted Galloway Society in the year of 1951. The association keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cleaning A Cow

By
Cleaning a cow in the proper way can keep the animal look and feel fresh. Cleaning also help to prevent external parasites. You may also need to clean your cow to show it off at your local county fair or other occasions. And you need to clean your cows more often especially if you have dairy cows. You can integrate a spraying system for cleaning a cow once a day or so. Along with cleaning the body, you should also provide a footbath for better health of the cow's hooves. However, here we are describing more about the process of cleaning a cow. Sprinkler System Add Sprinkler in a Pre-milking Wash Pen You can construct a pre-milking wash pen with sprinklers for cleaning multiple cows. In this system, install sprinklers all along the pen you hold the cows in before milking. Using concrete for the floor will be good. It will help to keep the floor dry quickly and you will not have a constantly muddy area. You should spray sprinklers both up and down to wash the cows th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Agerolese Cattle Farming

By
Agerolese cattle farming is not common, even in it's native area. It is a dairy cattle breed which is raised mainly for milk production purpose in it's native area. It is a pretty rare breed and not available outside it's native area. The Agerolese cattle is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy. It was developed from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari. The Agerolese cattle is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. And the conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as 'endangered-maintained' in 200...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ankole-Watusi Cattle Farming

By
Ankole-Watusi cattle farming is pretty popular, especially in it's native area. It is a multi-purpose breed of domestic cattle which is raised and valued for show, draught, meat and milk production purpose. The Ankole-Watusi cattle is a landrace breed, a type of Sanga cattle and originally native to East Africa. It is also known as Ankole Longhorn, and also sometimes known simply as Ankole or Watusi. Ankole-Watusi cattle is actually an ancient breed, and ancient rock paintings and depictions of these animals have been observed in the Sahara region and in the Egyptian arts and pyramid walls. The Sanga breed has spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and some other parts of Eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of the indigenous African cattle populations. It has most of the usual Zebu characteristics such as the pendulous dewlap and sheath, hump of variable size and the upturned horns. The Ankole-Watusi cattle have played a very important role in the lives of various ...
Post a Comment
Read more