The Spiny Turtle
(Heosemys spinosa) inhabits lowland and hill rainforest, usually in the
vicinity of small streams, mainly in hill areas up to 900 m. The Spiny
Turtle is known from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.The origin of its common and
specific name is immediately apparent from the sharp, pointed,
spiky-edged carapace, and spiny keel, of this unique turtle, also known
as the ‘cog-wheel turtle'. There are also smaller spines on the pleural
scutes, creating the effect of a walking pin cushion. It is thought that
this spiny ‘armour' acts as a deterrent to predators, such as snakes.
However, this unmistakable, strongly-serrated carapace edge and spiny
keel become worn down and are lost with age, so that larger individuals
are much smoother than juveniles. The carapace is brown with a pale
streak down the central keel, and the head and limbs are greyish-brown,
usually with a yellow to red spot behind the eye and similar-coloured
speckling on the legs. This cryptic colouration helps camouflage the
turtle amongst the leaf litter of its forest floor habitat. The plastron
is buff coloured with an intricate pattern of dark radiating lines on
each scute
Reproduction
Mating behaviour is apparently stimulated by rains, with males
becoming excited when sprayed with water in captivity, chasing females
in an attempt to mount. Nesting behaviour is unknown in the wild, but
generally one or two eggs are laid per clutch (clutches containing three
eggs have been recorded) in captivity, usually at night or in the early
morning. Up to three clutches have been produced a year, and to enable
the passage of these relatively large eggs, a hinge develops in the
female's plastron to allow greater flexibility during egg-laying. There
have only ever been a handful of successful captive breeding efforts of
the spiny turtle, and those that have been successful have had
incubation periods of 106 days, 110 days and 145 days. |
