Taipei Zoo has bred endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtles for the first time, it said on Wednesday.
The zoo said it bred two of the species, which is named for its long snake-like neck and the Indonesian island to which it is endemic.
“This is also a comparatively timid turtle. Even food frightens it when it first hatches,” the zoo said. “We finally got these two to eat by feeding them fruit flies and maggots.”
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
The critically endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtle is native to Rote Island, and one subspecies can be found on nearby Timor, it said, adding that the species is mostly found in marshland, lakes and terraces.
They have yellow marks on their breastplates when they hatch that turn almost black within a few weeks, before gradually lightening into adulthood, it said.
Their shells grow to about 20cm in length when they mature, but their necks are too long to retract into their shells the way other turtles do, the zoo said, adding that they instead curl their necks around the sides of their shells while resting.
Due to hunting and the destruction of its natural habitat, the species is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The zoo worked with the Turtle Island conservation center in Austria to import a Roti Island snake-necked turtle and attempt breeding, it said, adding that it produced its first fertilized eggs in April.
Eggs from the species typically have an incubation period of about 120 days, meaning that the eggs hatched this month, it said.
When hatched the turtles’ shells measured 2.5cm in length and weighed 3g, it added.
“These are aquatic turtles, so they spend most of their time in the water. When they are ready to lay eggs they come up on the shore, and then go back in the water afterward,” it said. “We have given this hatchling a shallow pool to move around in to be safe. We will gradually increase the depth of the water as it gets older.”
The Roti Island snake-necked turtle is a carnivorous turtle that normally feeds on small marine animals, it said.
“We racked our brains trying to think of what to feed them. We tried beef, chicken, worms and other things before we finally got them to eat fruit flies and maggots,” it said. “We will gradually diversify their diet as they grow.”
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