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Black
Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella
crassicollis) 20 cm
Emys crassicollis
J. E. Gray. 1831. Syn. Rept.: 21.
Siebenrockiella
crassicollis
Types:
The Natural History Museum, London 1947.3.5.36 (holotype), from
“Sumatra”.
Identification:
A medium-sized black freshwater turtle, the Black Marsh Turtle can be
distinguished from other Bornean turtles in showing three keels on the
carapace in juveniles (although adults have a single keel). The carapace
also bears serrated posterior marginals, and the vertebral region
of adults is flattened. Adult males can be recognised in showing
relatively longer and thicker tails, besides in having slightly concave
plastra. Additionally, adult females retain light head spots, while these
markings fade away with growth in males.
Natural
history: The black marsh turtle inhabits slow-moving or standing bodies of
waters, such as marshes, ponds, streams and lakes. Most of its time is
spent buried in the mud at the bottom of the water, and its carnivorous
diet includes aquatic animals, such as worms, snails, shrimps and frogs,
and it will also scavenger on dead animals. Although feeding takes place
in water, it will also come on land at night to forage. Males court by
bobbing their heads while pursuing them. Three to four clutches of just
one or two eggs are laid, the elongated eggs measuring on average 45 x 19
mm. Hatchlings measure about 52 mm in carapace length.
Distribution:
The species is distributed over southern Myanmar, south to Vietnam,
Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, in addition to Sumatra, Java and
Borneo.
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