Imagine a turtle that can retract its head and legs into its shell. But what if the shell itself is not that hard? This is exactly the case with the softshell turtle, also known as the leatherback turtle. This interesting creature is the complete opposite of its counterparts with hard protective armor.
Its shell is not a bone fortress at all. Instead, it is quite soft and pliable, more like elastic skin. This unique feature makes it more vulnerable, but also opens up new possibilities. For example, such a turtle can crawl much more easily into the narrow burrows it digs in the ground.
In this article, we will take a closer look at this unusual animal. We will find out where it lives, what it eats, and how its natural “elasticity” helps it. This is a good example of how nature finds a variety of solutions for the survival of its creatures.
Description of the softshell turtle
The carapace length of male elastic turtles is up to 17 cm, and that of females is up to 17.8 cm. The flat shell of the softshell turtle is soft to the touch and is formed by very thin, perforated bone plates. The turtle's breathing movements can be seen from the ventral side. The carapace is strongly flattened and cut off almost vertically at the rear, and the marginal scutes protrude backward in the form of serrated blades. Males weigh about 360 g, females 550 g, and females are larger. The color of the shell is golden brown with radial dark brown stripes. Females often have more rays on their shells than males, but males are often more spotted. The three middle vertebral scutes of the carapace are relatively small. There are 12 marginal scutes and 2 suprasternal scutes. The jaw plates are slightly serrated.
The “flexible turtle” is not a real animal, but a metaphor sometimes used to describe flexibility, resilience, and the ability to adapt to change. In life, as in nature, it is not the strongest who survive, but those who are best able to adapt to circumstances. This image reminds us that being like a turtle means having a solid foundation while maintaining inner flexibility, being able to “stretch” without losing shape, and moving forward despite difficulties.
Malacochersus tornieri
SIEBENROCK, 1903
RU: Elastic flat-shelled turtle, Pancake turtle, Tortier turtle
EN: Pancake Tortoise
Suborder: (Cryptodira) Hidden-necked
Family: (Testudinidae) Land
Genus: (Malacochersus) Elastic or Flat-shelled Turtles
Conservation status
Habitat and lifestyle
The flat-shelled tortoise inhabits Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. It lives in dry rocky foothills and rocky outcrops with shrubbery in arid savannas at altitudes of 30 to 1,800 meters above sea level. They are excellent climbers and scramble between rocks, and in times of danger, they hide in crevices or under rocks. If someone tries to pull a tortoise out of a crevice, it wedges itself firmly with its legs and even puffs itself up a little.
Elastic turtles live in isolated colonies, with many individuals staying in the same crevice or rock. Elastic turtles spend most of their time basking in the sun and do not appear to hibernate in the wild. However, they may “rest” under flat rocks during the hottest months of the year, gathering in large groups. Elastic turtles are active in the morning hours, as well as in the late afternoon and early evening. They do not hibernate in winter.
Feeding the radiated tortoise
This species of turtle is herbivorous. In captivity, herbivorous turtles are fed a variety of edible meadow grasses, leaves from bushes and trees (fresh, dried, thawed), succulents, edible houseplants and garden plants, and occasionally salads and vegetables from the list of permitted foods. It is advisable to put soft hay in the terrarium to compensate for the lack of fiber. Dry food in a soaked form can be given only occasionally as a treat, but not all turtles eat it.
More about feeding tortoises ›
Herbivorous turtles should NOT be fed meat, fish, milk, bread, cottage cheese, eggs, other human food, or dog or cat food.
What not to feed turtles ›
With each feeding, sprinkle calcium powder for reptiles on the food, but once a week, replace the calcium with powdered vitamins for reptiles. You can put a piece of chalk or a cuttlefish bone in the terrarium for the turtle to grind its beak, or you can put a bowl of calcium powder.
Turtles are fed in the morning. Young turtles are fed every day, while adolescents and adults are fed every 2–3 days. The amount of food should be enough to satisfy the turtle, but in reasonable quantities, approximately 1/3 of the shell.
!! Elastic turtles do not usually gnaw on cuttlefish shells.
Keeping softshell turtles in captivity
The minimum size of a terrarium for 1-2 individuals: terrarium length = 4 times the length of the shell of the largest turtle, terrarium width = 2 times the length of the shell. Add 20% space for each additional turtle. For a group of 2 adult males and 4 females, a 150×60 cm terrarium is suitable. For a pair of turtles, a 70x50x40 cm terrarium is suitable.
Arid terrarium: sand, soil, stones, roots, bathing area. A thick layer (about 8 cm) of coarse gravel, soil, sand, shell rock, sandy loam, coconut chips, and mixtures thereof are used as substrate. Turtles do not burrow into the substrate. However, it is important that newborn and adolescent turtles are kept on soft ground, otherwise they may develop a tendency to develop splayed feet. Turtles use rock crevices as shelters. The humidity level should be 50-60% during the day and up to 80% at night. Newborns and adolescents need high humidity. A fairly large but shallow pond is required, possibly heated to 30-33°C, with a water level of 1-1.5 cm.
The background air temperature in the terrarium should be 28-30°C with a temperature of up to 35°C at the heating point under the lamp. The nighttime air temperature is 22-25°C. The terrarium should also have an 8-10% UVB lamp. The UVI range for them is 0.85-1.8 average, 2.0-5.2 maximum (Ferguson's 2-3 zone). Daylight hours in summer are 12 hours, in winter – 12 hours.
Keeping them in an outdoor enclosure in the climate of Central Europe is recommended only in hot weather.
Turtles can be kept in groups of one male and two females.
Turtles are difficult to care for and are recommended only for experienced keepers.
Breeding of softshell turtles
The mating season for this species begins in January-February, after which the females lay eggs from July to August. During the mating season, males can be aggressive. Males can be quite selective in their choice of females. In terrarium conditions, elastic turtles can lay eggs all year round.
One clutch contains 1 to 2 eggs measuring 47-31 mm and weighing 35 g. There may be several clutches per season. The incubation period for eggs at a temperature of 28-30°C is 117-188 days (130 on average). At other temperatures, incubation can last from 90 to 200 days. During the first three weeks of incubation, the temperature is maintained at around 25°C, then gradually increased to 30°C. The layer of sand for laying eggs should be more than 8-10 cm thick.
Youngsters must be kept separate from adults and preferably in a group. Shelter is essential. Newborns have a more dome-shaped shell and are bright yellow with brown-black spots on the plastron. They are 40 mm long and weigh 16-18 g. Newborns are about 4 cm long, and their carapace is more convex and rigid than that of adults. The water level in their bathing area should be no more than 6 mm.
So, what exactly is this elastic turtle? It is not a fantastical animal, but a unique natural mechanism that allows some turtles to defend themselves remarkably effectively. Their shell with a special movable ligament is an ingenious invention of evolution for survival.
This feature makes them true masters of self-defense in the reptile world. When danger is near, they don't just hide in a motionless “house.” They close themselves completely, becoming an almost invulnerable fortress that is very difficult for a predator to attack.
Learning about such creatures makes you realize how diverse and inventive life on our planet is. The elastic turtle is a great example of how even a small but precise adaptation can be a decisive advantage in the struggle for existence.
