WATERY WEDNESDAY #18

WATERY WEDNESDAY# 18

Woohoo it’s Watery Wednesday again and we have a reptile that lives in the shallows of rivers and ponds! What? Yep, we have a reptile for Watery Wednesday! Come meet this little turtle…

MEET THE TWIST NECKED TURTLE!

Range/Habitat: Northern South America/river-ponds

Diet: Carnivore: insects, snails, tadpoles

Length: 5 ½-6 ½”

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Twist necked turtles do not pull their heads backwards into their shells, they pull them sideways.
• They are relatively bad swimmers, and usually stay in shallow waters.
• Twist necked turtles have very flat carapaces (top shells).

These neat little turtles have a very special adaptation as they pull their head in sideways and not backwards. They are one of the very few turtles who are able to do this on the planet! Neat! What kind of special adaptation do you have? Can you touch your nose with your tongue or make silly faces? Ellie can touch her back with her trunk!