It ain’t just me…
These ‘Black Marsh Turtles’ make me smile. We are proud to work with them because they are a hardy and easy-to-raise species, always look happy, and are endangered to extinction.
The Black Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) is a small, mostly black freshwater turtle from Southeast Asia, characterized by a broad head with a short, upward snout, and a thick, dark neck and limbs.
It also has distinctive cream or yellow markings around the eyes and throat, and pale spots behind the ear openings
The Black Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) is a small, mostly black freshwater turtle from Southeast Asia, characterized by a broad head with a short, upward snout, and a thick, dark neck and limbs.
It also has distinctive cream or yellow markings around the eyes and throat, and pale spots behind the ear openings.
The Siebenrockiella Black Marsh Turtle is endangered due to intense hunting and capture for the international wildlife trade, primarily for food and traditional Chinese medicine.
Habitat loss and degradation caused by deforestation, pollution, urban expansion, and agricultural development also significantly contribute to population declines across its Southeast Asian range.
Additionally, accidental drowning in abandoned fishing nets and a naturally slow reproductive cycle further stress the species’ ability to recover.
It is known as the “smiling terrapin” due to its mouth’s upward-curved appearance.
The Black Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) has a slow reproductive cycle, reaching maturity at about five years of age.
Its breeding habits involve specific courtship displays, a nesting season between April and June, and relatively small clutches of eggs.
Females lay multiple small clutches, typically three or four per season. Each clutch generally consists of only one or, on rare occasions, two eggs.
These Black Marsh Turtles have a remarkable evolutionary trait rare in egg-laying reptiles.
They are known for being the first turtle discovered to exhibit an XX/XY system of chromosomal sex determination, specifically with macrochromosomes.
The XX/XY sex-determination system is the most familiar, as it is found in humans. … In this system, most females have two of the same kind of sex chromosome (XX), while most males have two distinct sex chromosomes (XY).
Please let us know if you are interested in being a steward of an ‘Endangered’ Black Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis).
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