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.”
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS