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Pelusios Subniger
The East African black mud turtle (''Pelusios subniger''), also known as the Pan terrapin, is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae, native to eastern and southeastern Africa. Description The East African black mud turtle has a smooth, domed carapace with a length of 5.1-7.9 in. The carapace is typically dark brown, gray, or black, often with yellow or dark markings on the margins. They are rather dull in color like most of their genus. The Turtle shell#Plastron, plastron is hinged. The underside of the turtle can be brown, grey, black, or yellow. The upper jaw has a blunt, smooth shape. The head of an adult is generally uniform in color. As in all side-necked turtles, the neck retracts the head sideways instead of vertically into the shell. This species may be confused with the West African mud turtle. Two subspecies are recognized: *''P. s. subniger'' Bonnaterre, 1789 - type species *''P. s. parietalis'' Bour, 1983 - Seychelles black mud turtle Distribu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pelusios
''Pelusios'' is a genus of African side-necked turtles. With 17 described species, it is one of the most diverse genera of the turtle order (Testudines). Etymology The Latin name ''Pelusios'' means "mud" or "clay", and this is reflected by the turtles habitually burying themselves to find refuge and food. Common names Common names for the genus ''Pelusios'' include hinged terrapins, African mud turtles, and mud terrapins. Taxonomy Several species have been described, with probably numerous undescribed species. The Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of the genus is very confused, as these species show many local variations. Certain species, in isolated areas or with reduced populations, need to be observed as they face a distinct extinction possibility given the significant number collected by native people. Geographic range They are found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, São Tomé, and the Seychelles islands. They have also been introduced on the islands of the Lesser A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
