What to do if you see a turtle on the road – environmentalists explain. PHOTO
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In the summer, you can meet bog turtles on the roads of Ukraine. Although they live in water bodies, during this period they migrate in search of a place to lay eggs. Conservationists of the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve urge car drivers to be careful, as many animals die under the wheels of cars. In a comment to “UP.Zhyttia”, the head of the public organization “Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group” Oleksiy Vasylyuk said that these animals are found almost all over the territory of Ukraine. They live in reservoirs belonging to the Black Sea basin. The bog turtle is the only species of these animals in Ukraine, the environmental protection of the biosphere reserve noted. They are freshwater and live in shallow water bodies. They can be seen in forest, forest-steppe and steppe areas in swamps, lakes, ponds and river bays. A migrating turtle. Photo: Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve At the beginning of summer, turtles become very vulnerable: they often die under the wheels of cars; fall into the hands of incompetent people who try to save them; they are caught by poachers. “The number of marsh turtles is already decreasing due to the construction of their habitats, pollution of water bodies, burning of dry grass and reeds, during which the clutches (eggs laid by the animal) die,” environmentalists note. Swamp turtle. Photo: Chernobyl Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve Therefore, they urge drivers to be careful on the roads. “If you see a turtle on the road, stop and move it away in the direction in which it was moving,” the biosphere reserve emphasizes. The length of the turtle’s carapace (shell) reaches 23 cm (usually 16-18 cm), width is up to 17 cm, height is up to 8 cm. It is oval-shaped, smooth and without protrusions. The carapace is usually dark olive, dark gray in color with yellow lines and spots, sometimes it is black. The weight reaches up to 1.5 kg. Animals do not have teeth. With the help of a long tail, they can maneuver in the water. They mostly crawl on the bottom or swim very skillfully. A turtle on its way to lay eggs. Photo: Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve In the water, they eat mollusks, insect larvae, and small crustaceans. Sometimes they hunt fish and amphibians. On land, they eat insects and millipedes, as well as the remains of dead animals or birds. We will remind you that two spur-bearing turtles living in the Kyiv Zoo were transferred to the summer enclosure. Read also: In the zoo “Kazkova Dibrova” it was possible to save several animals. VIDEO
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