Philippine pond turtle, Palawan turtle, Leyte pond turtle
Siebenrockiella leytensis is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to the Philippines. It is classified as critically endangered. It is known as the Philippine forest turtle, the Philippine pond turtle, the Palawan turtle, or the Leyte pond turtle. Despite the latter common name, it does not occur in the island of Leyte but is instead native to the Palawan island group. It is locally known as bakoko in Cuyonon.
Philippine forest turtles are readily recognizable by their ginkgo-shaped vertebral scutes and a pale white to yellow line traversing across its head behind the ears. The previous characteristic has earned it the nickname of 'bowtie turtle'.
Philippine forest turtles are classified under the subgenus Panyaenemys. Together with the smiling terrapin (Siebenrockiella crassicollis ), it is one of the two species in the genus Siebenrockiella.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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starts withThe Philippine forest turtle is a critically endangered freshwater turtle native to the Philippines. Its plastron is reddish-brown to black in color, sometimes with blotches of yellow. In juveniles, the plastron is a uniform yellow. The bridge (the hinge connecting plastron and carapace) is the same color as the plastron. It is significantly smaller than the carapace and narrow at the front and back. The skin of the legs, body, and neck are rough in appearance, being covered in tiny tubercles. The head is brown in color, sometimes speckled at the temples with light brown, orange, or red spots. A thin white to pale yellow line traverses through the width of the head just behind the openings of the ears, it may be divided at the center in some individuals. This has led to the species being nicknamed the 'bowtie turtle'. The line is more prominent in younger individuals. The upper jaw of this turtle is hooked and the skin on the sides of the neck and the chin are lighter in color. The lower jaw may also sometimes possess a pair of small yellow spots on the sides. The tail is uniformly light brown in color.
Philippine forest turtles are known only from northern Palawan and surrounding islands. This includes the island of Dumaran where these turtles are still relatively abundant in creeks. In the areas of Taytay and San Vicente, it is believed their populations are declining sharply. Philippine forest turtles live in the lowland riparian forests in rivers, swamps, and streams.
Due to their rarity and their status as newly rediscovered, little is known about the lifestyle of Philippine forest turtles. From observations of captive adults, they proved to be very shy and retiring, spending considerable time hiding under rocks, both in and out of the water. They became active in the early morning and late evening, foraging for food and moved about during the night. They were not observed to be keen on basking in the sun, but this may have been the result of being in a captive environment.
Observations indicate that Philippine forest turtles are omnivores, favoring aquatic plants and they have been observed hunting small fish and crustaceans. In the wild, Philippine forest turtles are known to feed on figs.
Females of this species lay up to 5 eggs and like in most turtles, the reproductive maturity of young turtles is delayed.
The Philippine forest turtle is an enigmatic freshwater turtle species, it exerts great fascination for turtle hobbyists. Due to the previous inability to locate it in the wild, the main threats to this species are thought to be habitat loss and potential pressure from collectors. Local Palawan people are known to keep these turtles in water troughs for domestic pigs, as these are supposed to bring luck for the household and the pigs, although it is not known if this luck is shared by the turtles.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Philippine forest turtle total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...