Meet the toadheads, turtles of the genus Phrynops
The freshwater turtles of the genus Phrynops, may not be the most popular in the trade, nonetheless they do turn up on dealers lists. Phrynops, or the toadheads, are members of the once more ubiquitous pleurodire or sideneck radiation of turtles. Among the peculiarities of this ancient turtle clade, is the re-orientation of their hindlimbs, in such a fashion as limits their use on land, as in the earless seals. This means that all pleurodire turtles, though they may emerge to bask, and must do so to deposit their eggs in clutches, are truly aquatic reptiles. During the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic, the sidenecks were much more diverse, with shellfish feeding marine species, and titanic freshwater species from Amazonia, now extinct.
Phrynops are so hardy and flexible, that they have adapted to life alongside man by scavenging his domestic refuse that ends in the water. Overall,, the main item in the diet of these omnivorous turtles, is naturally aquatic insects. Other items thewe omnivores forage and consume, include carrion, fallen fruits, and the like. Evidence suggests that the female Phrynops are more carnivorous than the males. Such dietary niche partitioning by sex would be remarkable in a mammal, but is commonplace among the reptiles.
The species I have seen offered most often, is Phrynops hilarii from the broad region of South America, from southeastern Brazil and Paraguay, well into Argentina, where it is the most common turtle species, and also encompassing the entirety of Uruguay. P. hilarii grows to a weight of 5 kilpgrams, with a carapace length of 40 centimeters, or 16 inches. Wild animals are found in slow streams, marshes, ponds, and lakes with floating vegetation.The pH of the water bodies they inhabit, might likely be variable by the season, with summer values being higher than during the winter season, and the temperature experienced by these turtles, will certainly vary according to the season.
In the southern hemisphere hot season, within the range of P. hilarii, the water temperature may approach or slightly exceed 30 degrees centigrade. Whereas in the cool season, the temperature may drop to around 16 degrees, and sometimes lower than that. Tropical species in the genus will naturally have different environmental preferences and requirements, from those of this southern, subtropical species. Whereas details such as the broad diet of this turtle genus, will still be relevant to the turtle keeper encountering any of these species.
The Phrynops turtles are among of those freshwater species, to make good use of available basking opportunities, on rocks, fallen trees, and the like. Captive Phrynops that do not experience natural sunlight, ought to be provided with an artificial UVB source, as well as a basking lamp above a dry emersion spot. The females are known now to travel some distance from the water bodies they inhabit, to bury their clutches of eggs. Therefore it should be considered that these turtes can, if they wish, escape from an unsecured enclosure. Because of their size and swimming abiliry, Phrynops are better suited to a pond environment, than to home aquariums of standard measurements.