European pond turtle

European pond turtle
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Emydidae
Subfamily:	Emydinae
Genus:	Emys
Species:	E. orbicularis
Binomial name
Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758)
The range of the European pond turtle.
Synonyms
Emys orbicularis orbicularis Testudo orbicularis Linnaeus, 1758 Testudo lutaria Linnaeus, 1758 Testudo europaea Schneider, 1783 Testudo pulchella Schoepff, 1801 Emydes lutaria Brongniart, 1805 Emys europaea Schweigger, 1812 Emys lutaria Schweigger, 1812 Hydrone orbicularis Rafinesque, 1814 Emys pulchella Merrem, 1820 Terrapene europaea Bell, 1826 Emys (Cistuda) europea Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Cistuda europaea Gray, 1831 Testudo lutraria Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Cistudo europaea Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Clemmys (Clemmys) lutaria Fitzinger, 1835 Emys turfa Meyer, 1835 Emys lutaria var. borealis Nilsson, 1841 Lutremys europaea Gray, 1856 Cistudo lutaria Strauch, 1862 Cistudo anhaltina Giebel, 1866 Emys orbicularis Blanford, 1876 Emys lutaria taurica Mehnert, 1890 Emys europaea var. concolor Dürigen, 1897 Emys europaea var. punctata Dürigen, 1897 Emys europaea var. sparsa Dürigen, 1897 Emys orbicularis aralensis Nikolsky, 1915 Emys orbicularis orbicularis Mertens, Müller & Rust, 1934 Emys orbicularis capolongoi Emys orbicularis capolongii Obst, 2003 (ex errore) Emys orbicularis colchica Emys orbicularis colchica Fritz, 1994 Emys orbicularis eiselti Emys orbicularis eiselti Fritz, Baran, Budak & Amthauer, 1998 Emys orbicularis fritzjuergenobsti Emys orbicularis fritzjuergenobsti Fritz, 1993 Emys orbicularis fritzjuergenobstii Obst, 2003 (ex errore) Emys orbicularis galloitalica Emys orbicularis (galloitalica) galloitalica Fritz, 1995 Emys orbicularis hellenica Cistuda hellenica Valenciennes, 1832 Emys antiquorum Valenciennes, 1833 Emys (Emys) hofmanni Fitzinger, 1835 Emys orbicularis var. hoffmanni Schreiber, 1875 Emys orbicularis var. atra Werner, 1897 Emys europaea var. maculosa Dürigen, 1897 Emys orbicularis var. hellenica Kovatscheff, 1903 Emys orbicularis hispanica Emys orbicularis hispanica Fritz, Keller & Budde, 1996 Emys orbicularis iberica Emys europaea var. iberica Eichwald, 1831 Emys orbicularis kurae Fritz, 1994 Emys orbicularis kuraea Rogner, 1995 (ex errore) Emys orbicularis iberica Fritz, 1998 Emys orbicularis ingauna Emys orbicularis ingauna Jesu, Piombo, Salvidio, Lamagni, Ortale & Genta, 2004 Emys orbicularis lanzai Emys orbicularis (galloitalica) lanzai Fritz, 1995 Emys orbicularis luteofusca Emys orbicularis luteofusca Fritz, 1989 Emys orbicularis occidentalis Emys orbicularis occidentalis Fritz, 1993 Emys orbicularis persica Emys europaea var. persica Eichwald, 1831 Emys orbicularis orientalis Fritz, 1994 Emys orbicularis persica Fritz, 1998 Emys orbicularis versica Artner, 2003 (ex errore)

The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), also called the European pond terrapin, is a long-living freshwater species of turtle.

It is found in southern and central Europe, West Asia and North Africa. In the early post-glacial period, the pond turtle had a much wider distribution, being found as far north as southern Sweden. It became extinct in Great Britain due to climate change.

In France, there are six large remaining populations, all deteriorating; it is the most endangered reptile of the country.

In Switzerland, the European pond turtle was extinct at the beginning of the twentieth century and reintroduced since 2010.

Emys orbicularis turtles prefer to live in wetlands surrounded by a large proportion of natural, wooded, landscape. Specimens of Emys orbicularis are also found in upland environments for feeding.Emys orbicularis is usually considered semi-aquatic, as their terrestrial movements can span 1000 meters, and occasionally found traveling up to 4000 meters, away from the water.

Historically, Emys orbicularis had been maintained as pets; however, this practice has been prohibited due to protection laws. Due to human impact, turtles have been found to be relocated in areas distant from their origin. However, it is possible to localize and indicate a region of origin with genetic testing.

The European pond turtle is a medium size turtle and varies quite a bit across its distribution, from 12 to 38 cm length. Its shell is brown with a hint of green, spotted yellow.

An important factor that affects Emys orbicularis development is temperature and thermal conditions. It has been reported that differential growth rates of the same species occur, including variation of body size and clutch sizes, because of varying temperatures in certain areas. Due to evident patterns of sexual dimorphism, Emys orbicularis adult males are always found to be smaller than females. In males, smaller plastrons offer them a wider mobility compared to females. In females, due to their differential diet and foraging habits, there may be a correlation to an adaptive effect on their skull and head morphology.

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