Herptiles

Mauremys leprosa

Mediterranean Turtle

Mauremys leprosa (Schweigger, 1812)

Basic info

Common names
  • Mediterranean Pond Turtle
  • Mediterranean Turtle
Species nameMauremys leprosa
Scientific nameMauremys leprosa (Schweigger, 1812)
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Testudines
Geoemydidae
Mauremys leprosa

Further Reading

Temperatures & Season

Day time temperatures

Background summer25 - 30 °F
Background winter14 °F
Basking spot35 °F

Season

Winter treatmentbrumation
Photoperiod summer14 hours
Photoperiod winter10 hours

Microhabitats

Microhabitats are specific small habitats that an organism inhabits within its broader environment. These can vary greatly depending on the species and can give us insights into the preferred living conditions of each reptile. Understanding these microhabitats can be key to providing the correct care for these animals in captivity.

  • Ar
    Arboreal

Ferguson Zones

Ferguson Zones are a way to classify the amount of UV light that reptiles are exposed to in their natural habitats. These zones help us understand and replicate their natural light conditions in captivity, promoting the health and wellbeing of the reptiles. Below, we detail the specific Ferguson Zones of the Chinese Water Dragon, along with recommendations for replicating these conditions

The Ferguson Zone in which the Mediterranean Turtle has been placed has been chosen based upon an assessment of its typical basking behaviour and likely microhabitat in the wild.

3
Open or partial sun basker
UVI range avarage: 1-2.6, UVI max recorded: 2.9-7.4

Recommended lighting methods in captivity

Sunbeam method

This method uses the 'Max UVI Recorded' value as a guide for the upper limit of the UVB gradient in captivity. This maximum should be the highest level which a Mediterranean Turtle can obtain at its closest approach to its UVB lamp. The highlighted area in the table below represents this range for the Mediterranean Turtle.

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2
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9

More in-depth information about Ferguson zones can be found here: https://jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150

Community collected distribution (16008 occurrences)

Biomes

These are the biomes the Mediterranean Turtle was found in. Click here to learn more about terrestrial ecoregions and biomes.

More species to explore

Chinese Pond Turtle

Mauremys reevesii (Gray, 1831)

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Western Caspian Turtle

Mauremys rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833)

Zhou's Box Turtle

Cuora zhoui (Zhao, Zhou & Ye, 1990)

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References

  1. Baines, F.M., Chattell, J., Dale, J., Garrick, D., Gill, I., Goetz, M., Skelton, T. and Swatman, M. 2016. How much UVB does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research. 4, 1 (Jan. 2016), 42–63. DOI:https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v4i1.150.
  2. Mauremys leprosa (Schweigger, 1812) in GBIF Secretariat (2021). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org
  3. Schweigger, A. F. Prodromus Monographia Cheloniorum auctore Schweigger.
  4. iNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org
This website is created by Jefrim Keijzer | All species