The pond turtle or mud turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a turtle from the family of turnips (Emidynae). The color of mud turtles is dark brown to black. The carapace can be brown-red, brown-black, green-black to black, decorated with pale green, yellow to yellow-red dots, or short stripes. The plastron is yellow to reddish-brown with black communicating spots. It lives in fresh, brackish stagnant or slightly flowing waters. It is found in southern Europe, North Africa, western Asia, and to the east its distribution area extends to the Aral Sea. It also lives in warmer areas of Central Europe, where it can be found as far north as Poland. It is protected everywhere in the northern areas of occurrence. In Germany, it is listed as an endangered species in the Red Book. The bog turtle is the only original species of turtle that occurs freely in the habitats of Slovakia. In our red book, it is also listed in the category of critically endangered species, the further survival of which is unlikely due to the constant influence of threat factors.
Our original populations of the terrapin were tied to the East Slovak Lowland and some localities in southern Slovakia, the Záhorská Lowland and southern Moravia. Probably the only regularly breeding population has been in the Tajba National Nature Reserve near Streda nad Bodrogom.
The terrapin in nature feeds in a predatory way. It hunts beetles, earthworms and other invertebrates on the banks. In the water, its food consists of various molluscs, insects, frogs, frogs, sick and injured fish.
Emys orbicularis
