Spanish Terrapin

• The temperature of the nest decides whether the hatchlings are male or female.
• It eats aquatic invertebrates and small fish, supplemented with water plants.
• It lives in rivers, lagoons and wetlands of the Iberian Peninsula, with a notable tolerance of brackish and polluted water.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)

Habitat & environment

Rivers, lagoons and wetlands of the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and North Africa, with a notable tolerance of brackish and polluted water

Birth weight

25-30 mm of carapace length at hatching

Size at birth

25-30 mm of carapace length at hatching

Sexual maturity

Male: 5-7 years | Female: 7-9 years

Gestation / incubation

55-108 days in Europe (25-30 days in African populations)

Litter / clutch size

3 to 13 eggs per clutch (3.8-9.6 on average depending on the population), with up to 2 clutches a year

Sources consulted: IUCN TFTSG (Mediterranean Pond Turtle chapter); Moroccoherps.com; The Turtle Hub; Grokipedia (Leprosa); DOAJ (body size ectoparasitic study); AnAge (genomics.senescence.info)

Best time: From March to October, on sunny days, in rivers, ponds and reservoirs of southern and western Iberia; it tolerates murkier water than the European pond turtle.