Zoo-pedia > European Pond Tortoise - Emys orbicularis

European Pond Tortoise - Emys orbicularis

By Tom Halvorsen.

The beautiful and hardy European Pond Turtle is in the wild found in a great number of countries as far north as Germany and Netherlands, and despite it`s common name it is not strictly a european species.
It also occurs in the Middle East and some of the countries in the western part of Asia, such as Iran and Iraq, as well as northern African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. According to some sources, an introduced, wild population also exists in the UK, but we can not confirm this information as reliable.
Once very common within its entire geographical distribution area, the natural population of the European Pond Turtle has been constantly declining, although some countries still hold healthy populations. The species has been heavily protected locally for a long time in most countries, but habitat destruction, pollution and construction work have destroyed many of the areas where the European Pond Turtle once were plentiful.

Suitable for outdoor keeping, the European Pond Turtle will also very often reward it`s keeper by breeding in the spring, and hatchlings are sometimes available in the pet trade. It is very difficult, even impossible, to predict the future coloration and the markings a small specimen will get when it grows up to maturity, but if the parents are known their colour and markings can give a hint. Some populations can be nearly entirely black with very few yellow markings at all, while others can have allot of the attractive and sought-after yellow markings.

It would be excellent if more turtle-keepers would devote themselves to keeping and breeding the fascinating, medium-sized European Pond Turtle, as it otherwise may become very difficult to obtain this species in the future.