One of the most amazing and oldest creatures on planet Earth, the turtle during evolution, received an excellent protective tool in the form of a shell. The species that live today have shells of various shapes and sizes that give these animals an unusual and funny look. In our review today, the most unusual and most beautiful turtles living both on land and in water.
List of the most unusual and beautiful turtles:
1
Humpback Humpback
In fresh lakes and rivers of the states of Alabama and Mississippi, an unusual and beautiful turtle lives, not growing more than 20 centimeters.
Its distinctive feature is the original form of the shell, which has several spikes. In addition, the shell is hemispherical, which gives the turtle a slight hump.
Nature rewarded her with such a shell, since a cute turtle cannot retract its head, and spikes remain the only means of defense against enemies.
2
Prickly
One of the rarest species that is found only in some areas of Southeast Asia. You can meet this turtle in the wetlands of tropical rainforests.
The unusual shape gives it an unusual form of shell. The extreme shields extend far to the side, thus forming protective spikes. And on the back there are small processes.
The prickly tortoise eats exclusively berries, earthworms. In captivity, he can eat pieces of meat, becoming, truly, omnivorous.
3
Leatherback turtle
Pictured above: a young leatherback turtle that has just hatched from an egg.
Pictured below: Adult
In many popular tourist destinations, you can swim next to these amazing animals and be sure to get a storm of positive emotions. They are so unusual that they have a leather shell, and not a hard bone shell.
This turtle seems very cute, but only until you look into its mouth.
In the photo: in the mouth of a leathery turtle
4
Yellow-spotted humpback
The yellow-spotted humpback tortoise (Graptemys flavimaculata) is a rather rare species discovered in the middle of the last century. They live in the Mississippi River Basin.
5
Mata mata
Mata-Mata (Chelus fimbriatus) has a unique and unusual appearance that makes the animal a master of disguise. They live in the silty waters of South America.
Due to its unusual nature and simplicity of its contents, the species is very popular among terrariums.
6
Soft shell Chinese
You can argue about the beauty of this species, but the fact that it is one of the most unusual is undeniable.
And the inhabitant of China and other Asian countries is distinguished by soft shell from relatives. Surprisingly, while breathing lightly, this turtle can be under water for a long time.
How she succeeds, scientists have not yet figured out, but more recently they learned another of her features - they urinate through the mouth.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru you can see other no less strange and unusual animals of the planet.
7
Red-bellied Short-necked
Photo by: Petra Karstedt / wikipedia
This graceful turtle with streamlined shapes, a small head and interesting webbed feet lives in New Guinea, as well as in a small region of Australia.
On the photo: Red-bellied Short-necked Turtle
We advise you to see: Amazing animals endemic to Australia.
8
Elusor macrurus
This endangered species of turtles can be found only in one corner of the Earth. They are found in the Mary River, which flows through the vastness of Australia.
Shells come in a variety of colors and shades. Unusual attachment to the head of the processes under the chin, resembling a small beard.
In addition, the inhabitants of river waters have been under water for so long, then they are overgrown with algae, which create unusual and original hairstyles on the body of the animal.
9
Eastern long-necked
In the lakes of Africa and in some eastern regions of the United States, you can meet a tortoise, which has the longest neck among the entire tortoise family.
From a distance it is very similar to a snake, if not for the shell. And she hunts like a snake, sharply straightening her neck towards the victim. It may bite a person if he considers that he is in danger.
These are relatively small beautiful turtles, whose adults do not exceed 10-15 centimeters in length.
10
Indian lobed
Another representative of the tortoise family, which in case of danger not only retracts its head, but also closes the front and rear wings of the shell.
The inhabitant of freshwater reservoirs of India, Burma and Pakistan feeds on frogs, can eat small mice, fish and tadpoles.
Because of the delicious meat, the locals are happy to include it in their diet, but its catch is strictly limited.
11
Magnificent forest
The very bright color of the reptile attracts the attention of terrarimers, so the magnificent can be found not only in the forests of Central America, but also in terrariums around the world.
The species received its name because of the unusual color of the shell. Red and yellow spots with a dark border are located on each costal flap, and light rings are located on the marginal flaps.
The omnivorous turtle introduces both plant and animal food into its diet.
12
Carettochelys insculpta
The pig-bearing turtle, as this species is also called because of the unusual shape of the muzzle, is one of the most remarkable and unusual representatives of the Carettochelydidae family.
It is also distinguished from freshwater relatives by the shape of the limbs in the form of fins, as in the inhabitants of the deep sea. And they are found in the rivers of Australia and New Guinea.
Due to the disappearance of the species, the authorities of the states in which the turtle lives have adopted strict laws to protect and increase the population of an amazing representative of the animal world. The editors of most-beauty.ru hope for an early restoration of the population of these beautiful turtles.
13
Thorny Trionics
This species of turtles lives in some areas of Central and North America. Grow up to 50 cm in length. Their populations are quite numerous, which allows people to get them as food. The meat of the prickly trionix is considered a delicacy.
The animal is quite aggressive both to its relatives and to humans.
14
Callagure
An unusual turtle, originally from the islands of Indonesia, is peculiar for its biology and original appearance.
Brown carapace with three keels, changes color depending on the time of year. In females and males, differences in color are also observed. Because of this seasonal phenomenon, they are often called “painted” or “painted”.
The head is also not without decoration. A bright orange stripe stretches from the tip of the nose through the entire muzzle.
15
Trionics Leitha
A fairly large species of Trionix Leith with carapace from 48 to 65 centimeters, lives in the basins of some rivers of India.
There are small twists and bright spots on the plates. But most of all, the head is colored, especially in young animals. On the green face there are longitudinal dark lines, at the corners of the mouth there are yellow spots, and the bottom of the head is a gentle cream color.
And discovered this species, back in 1872, during one of the expeditions to exotic India.
16
Geoclemys hamiltonii
Due to its unusual color, the black spotted pond tortoise living in the countries of Southeast Asia is one of the most beautiful on Earth.
The shell with three keels with small teeth is black with a lot of bright spots. The skin on the legs and head has the same original color as carapace.
A beautiful tortoise is a predator, and feeds on snails, fish, amphibians. Occasionally, it can eat algae.
17
Vulture turtle
These terrifying turtles can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh up to 60 kg. They live, for the most part, in the Mississippi River Basin. They feed on small fish.
Having caught this, you need to be careful, the turtle is able to painfully bite the offender.
18
Leopard tortoise
In the photo you see a young leopard tortoise. This is a very common species of turtles throughout the African continent. They can be found almost everywhere: from deserts and savannahs to highlands.
Adults grow up to 70 cm in length, being the second largest turtles on the continent.
19
Tubercle tortoise
And this interesting “beauty” settles in the salty marshy ponds of the eastern coast of the United States of America.
Conclusion
More than two hundred species live in the world, some of which stand out among the congeners for their unusual and original appearance. But each species is unique and requires careful attitude and protection, otherwise many species will cease to please humanity with their beauty and hit with "records" of speed of movement. The editors of Most Beauty asks you to write in the comments which beautiful turtles impressed you the most.
Below we show you some more photos of beautiful turtles:
Editor's Note: This article has been updated since its initial publication in August 2018.