European Pond Turtle

• It feeds on aquatic invertebrates, small fish, amphibians and plant matter.
• It lives in the lakes, ponds, slow rivers and wetlands of much of Europe.
• One documented animal is said to have lived 120 years in a botanical garden in southern France, though the figure is not fully verified.
• fisiologíaIt can stay submerged for long stretches in winter, buried in mud with its metabolism slowed right down.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)

Habitat and environment

Lakes, ponds, slow rivers and wetlands across much of Europe, with populations reaching into North Africa and western Asia

Birth weight

Hatches from an egg 15-25 mm long

Size at birth

Hatches from an egg 15-25 mm long

Sexual maturity

5-6 years

Gestation / incubation

90-100 days (some embryos overwinter inside the egg until the following spring)

Litter / clutch size

8 to 10 eggs per clutch, with several clutches possible in a season

Life expectancy in captivity

One documented animal lived 120 years in a botanical garden in southern France (a figure not verified with certainty)

Sources consulted: Cambridge Core (body size clutch size study); JungleDragon; ResearchGate (body size clutch size study); Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info)

Best time: From March to October, on sunny days, when it basks on logs and along the banks of pools and slow-flowing streams.