Life History
Platemys platycephala young or hatchlings typically resemble parents except for brighter coloration. Twist-necked hatchlings measure around 4–6 cm in carapace length and about 20 g or 0.04 lbs. Mating typically occurs during the rainy season of the Amazon rainforest (late March to early December). Males follow females, mount from behind, then proceed to rub their chin barbels (fleshy filament) against the top of females’ head. Some authors also report violent biting and water expulsion from the males nostrils during copulation. Coupling has been observed on land or in water and usually occurs late in the afternoon or at night. Oviposition comes during the dry season (late December to early March) when the female deposits a large, oval egg (around 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide). Many herpetologists report females depositing another egg a couple of weeks later while some recreational collectors report multiple eggs at a time. Shallow indentations are made to deposit eggs and then lightly covered by sand and/or leaf litter.
Read more about this topic: Twist-necked Turtle
Famous quotes containing the words life and/or history:
“I hid my love when young till I
Couldn’t bear the buzzing of a fly;
I hid my life to my despite
Till I could not bear to look at light:
I dare not gaze upon her face
But left her memory in each place;
Where’er I saw a wild flower lie
I kissed and bade my love good-bye.”
—John Clare (1793–1864)
“No cause is left but the most ancient of all, the one, in fact, that from the beginning of our history has determined the very existence of politics, the cause of freedom versus tyranny.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)