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 & 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

Lifespan 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.