Discover many rare turtle species at Pu Hu Nature Reserve

A mountain turtle has just been discovered in Pu Hu Nature Reserve

On the morning of October 19, the Management Board of Pu Hu Nature Reserve in the highland district of Quan Hoa (Thanh Hoa) said that in the past time, the unit has discovered 15 big-headed turtles and 10 inner-rimmed mountain turtles. forests of the reserve.

Mountain turtles have just been discovered in Pu Hu Nature Reserve – Photo provided by Pu Hu Nature Reserve

The management board of Pu Hu Nature Reserve assessed the current population status, morphological and behavioral characteristics, food, and habitat of these two turtle species to build a species distribution map.

The unit also trained staff and local people to propagate the conservation of turtle species in the reserve.

The management board of Pu Hu Nature Reserve said that the mountain tortoise (scientific name is Manouria impressa ) belongs to the tortoise family Testudinidae, the order Testudinata tortoise. , yellow bib with brown radioactive rays.

This turtle usually lives in ditches, and wet valleys at an altitude of 1,500m; food is fallen fruits, grass sprouts, fungi.

In the world, this turtle has appeared in China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam (in the provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Tuyen Quang)… In Thanh Hoa, this turtle species occur in sub-zones 42, 49, 56 of Pu Hu Nature Reserve.

A big-headed turtle has just been discovered in Pu Hu Nature Reserve – Photo provided by Pu Hu Nature Reserve

And the big-headed turtle (scientific name is Plastysternon megacephalum ) belongs to the family Platysternidae, the order Testudinata. This tortoise has a large head, cannot retract into the shell, gray tortoise shell, long tail.

Big-headed turtles usually live in streams in the forest and feed at dusk or at night. The main food of big-headed turtles is small fish, mollusks, crabs, earthworms and other invertebrates.