Four-Eyed Turtle

Genus Sacalia

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing four-eyed turtles. The name "four-eyed turtle" could be applied to two living species. To keep things simple, this video will discuss both, though we think it's worth mentioning some differences between the two. Four-eyed turtles get their common name for the eyespots present on the back of their head. In one species, there are four of these prominent eyespots, however, in the other species, only two spots are visible. Sometimes this species is known as the eyed turtle to avoid confusion, but… all turtles have eyes, so maybe that doesn't help either. Plus, if we count the eyespots, it technically has "four eyes" leaving the other species with four eyespots four-eyed in spots but six-eyed in total! Maybe that would be the best move? Call it the six-eyed turtle? Though it would conflict with its scientific name! Also the eyespots are purely decorative, these reptiles can't actually use them to see anything.

Four-eyed turtles live in freshwater streams and rivers in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Laos. They inhabit forests from 328 to 1,312 feet (100 to 400m) in elevation, and they're completely capable of climbing over fallen logs and moving about on land if they need to. These reptiles are small, averaging about five inches (12.7cm) in length across their shell, though females are slightly larger than males, which is fairly common in the reptile world. The ladies have to be able to produce eggs, so they need a little more space to keep themselves and their babies nourished with the fruit, worms, crustaceans, and small fish in their diet.

Little is known about four-eyed turtle breeding in the wild. Nearly all research on their mating habits has been completed using captive individuals. Male four-eyed turtles tend to initial breeding with rubbing along the female's head, legs, or other parts of her body. He'll also sniff her. If she's accepting, they'll mate and finish within just a few minutes. If she's not accepting, she swims away and he pursues her. He may bite at her while they mate, and she'll quickly move away once they're finished. 

The female lays about two or three eggs in a nest on land, though some sources cite up to six eggs to a nest. These incubate for three to four months depending on the temperature with colder temperatures yielding longer incubation times. Both eggs and adults have to watch out for wild boars as well as humans who hunt them for food and the pet trade. Thankfully, these turtles have some fantastic camouflage.

While their eye spots are ostentatious, four-eyed turtles are otherwise colored to blend in with their surroundings. There's actually evidence these reptiles specifically seek out areas in the water where they most effectively blend in! Fascinatingly, this tends to mean they live in relatively close proximity with one another at high density in mid-stream areas. There are even studies suggesting these turtles may be more conflict averse when housed near each other, though this type of research is still in its infancy.

It's not known exactly why four-eyed turtles have their eyespots. Some hypothesize they're to scare predators. They are certainly unique as no other known turtle species have ocelli quite like this. These spots also help differentiate adult male and female four-eyed turtles from each other. Juveniles all sport yellow eyespots like their mother, but adult males have green eyespots! They may also display red irises and red stripes along their face and neck while females continue with their golden-colored patterning.

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