Philippine Pond Turtle

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iPhilippine Pond Turtle
Conservation status
Critically endangered (CR)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Bataguridae Subfamily: Geoemydinae Genus: Heosemys Species: H. leytensis
Binomial name
Heosemys leytensis Taylor, 1920

The Philippine Pond Turtle (Heosemys leytensis), also known as the Leyte Pond Turtle, is an extremely rare turtle species from the Philippines.

Three specimens were obtained before 1920 from a shipment of mixed turtles said to originate from Leyte Island in the Philippines. Around 1988 a fourth specimen was found in the possession of a villager in Taytay municipality in eastern Palawan, who claimed to have collected it from a local stream.

The Philippine Pond Turtle is probably the world’s least-known and most enigmatic freshwater turtle species, it exerts great fascination for turtle hobbyists. Due to the inability to locate it in the wild, probable threats from habitat loss, and potential pressure from collectors, this turtle is listed as critically endangered.

The Philippines pond turtle has been found in some numbers in the northern part of the island of Palawan.

As late as 2004, a considerable number of these turtles (over 50) were to be found for sale in a Manila animal market, some of the buyers being overseas collectors. These animals had been collected from mud wallows in northern Palawan, and it is believed that they hide during the daylight hours. All of these animals were adult, both male and female - it is unknown if the collectors failed to find younger specimens, or found them less appealing for selling, or if youngsters were present.

Captive adults, provided a large outside pool with well planted islands and numerous underwater rock formations in Manila, proved to be very shy and retiring, spending considerable time hiding under rocks, both in and out of the water. They were omnivorous, favouring commercial turtle food, aquatic plants and they have been observed hunting small fish and crustaceans. They took some months to adjust to confinement.

They became active in the early morning and late evening, foraging for food, and moved about during the night. They were not observed to be keen on basking in the sun, but this may have been because they did not feel confident.

Additionally, many specimens (from Palawan) offered for sale had small holes bored in the carapace, indicating that some at least had been held captive as pets and tethered accordingly.

Local Palawan people are known to keep these animals in water troughs for domestic pigs, as these are supposed to bring luck for the household and the pigs, although it is not known if this luck is shared by the turtles.

In comparison the people of Samar and Leyte have a local belief that to touch any turtles will bring about loss of memory, and so they are not favoured as pets in these locations.

These beautiful creatures, shy and retiring, have a pronounced orange colour to their smooth carapace, and pink tinges to the head and forleg areas.

Although some studies into their habitats have been commenced by several Philippines academic institutions, lack of funding has prevented full study, and they must be still considered endangered, especially from collecting, until further research had been carried out.

Some eighteen individuals have been donated to the Malabon Zoo north of Manila.

Recent legislation in the Philippines requires pet owners and traders to register their animals with the authorities, and pay for licences to keep the more "exotic" pets. It is hoped that this may prove to reduce the collection of various endangered species, including the Philippines Pond Turtle.

[edit] References

• Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). Heosemys leytensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is critically endangered