Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Demuth, J. P., & Buhlmann, K. A. (1997). Diet of the turtle deirochelys reticularia on the savannah river site, south carolina. Journal of Herpetology, 31, 450–453.
Added by: Admin (17 Aug 2008 18:17:15 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article BibTeX citation key: Demuth1997 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Deirochelys, Deirochelys reticularia, Emydidae, Ernährung = nutrition, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises Creators: Buhlmann, Demuth Collection: Journal of Herpetology |
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| Abstract |
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Deirochelys reticularia inhabits wetlands of the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. An unusually long neck, a bimodal (fall and spring) nesting period, and an affinity for ephemeral wetland habitats make chicken turtles unique among North American emydids (Gibbons, 1969; Gibbons and Greene, 1978; Congdon et al., 1983; Jackson, 1988). Many emydids exhibit a pattern of carnivory as juveniles but change toward omnivory or herbivory as adults (Mahmoud and Klicka, 1979). In contrast, it has been suggested that Deirochelys is primarily carnivorous throughout life (Jackson, 1988, 1996), with the extremely long neck being the most conspicuous trophic specialization (Jackson, 1978, 1996; Pritchard, 1984). This specialization may facilitate capture of fast-moving prey as suggested by Georges et al. (1986) for some Australian chelid turtles. Supportive data were presented by Jackson (1996), who characterized the diet of a northern Florida sample of D. reticularia and provided observations of feeding behavior in captives. Further knowledge of the diet of this relatively little-studied turtle may provide insights into other aspects of its ecology. Therefore, the objective of our study was to describe the diet of D. reticularia in South Carolina.
Added by: Admin |