Central Asian Turtle

The Central Asian turtle got its name because of its habitat. It is found throughout Central Asia, in the southern regions of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Northeastern Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, in the northwestern regions of India and Pakistan. It lives in clay and sandy deserts with thickets of wormwood, tamarisk or saxaul, in the foothills up to heights of 1200 m above sea level, in river valleys, on agricultural land. It feeds on a variety of ephemera, as well as shoots of shrubs and agricultural crops – melons, watermelons, wheat, cotton, etc. Sometimes it also eats small insects. Turtles reach sexual maturity: females from 10-12 years old, males from 5-6 years old. The female lays from 2 to 6 eggs. The peculiarity of the Central Asian turtle is hibernation, into which it can fall after laying eggs. For such a rest, the turtle prepares a special shelter for itself – it can dig a sand hole lasting up to a meter. Also, the turtle falls into hibernation, which is longer in duration. They live for 40-50 years (when they are kept in an apartment for 10-30 years). The Central Asian turtle grows throughout its life. Its length is 20-28 cm . Females on average are noticeably larger than males.