Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If anyone wants to see some amazing turtles try and visit the bronx zoo, their roster includes but is not limited to:
hatchling and adult emydura subglosa,
hatchling and adult pignoses (carettochelys)
hatchling clemmys guttata
hatchling testudo kleinmanni
hatchling geochelone radiata
hatchling pelomedusa subrufra
parkers snakeneck (chelodina parkeri)
pancake tortoises
eastern boxes (sharing enclosure with rattlesnakes!)
giant snakenecks (really really big!)
matamata
red headed sideneck (podocnemis erythrocephala)
podocnemis expansa (!)
a variety of terrestrial batagurids
RIVER TERRAPIN!(BATAGUR BASKA)
PAINTED TERRAPIN! (CALLAGUR BORNEOENSIS)
MALAYSIAN GIANT! (ORLITIA BORNEOENSIS)
AND WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE THE IMMENSITY OF THEIR ALLIGATOR SNAPPER! IT IS AN ANCIENT BEAST! LOOKS LIKE ITS GOT TO BE AT LEAST 100! CARAPACE LENGTH NEARLY 4 FT!

(I apologize for my enthusiasm, ive just never seen that many exotics!)

They do have an amazing selection. It's where I saw my first pignosed turtle and was amazed by it.

Are these hatchlings from the animals in their exhibits? I know they had several that there was some controversy over as to whether they were planted or not some years ago. Would be very interesting to see if they are actually having success and recording the breeding habits of the PNT's. Such a cool turtle unfortunately -- a novelty one at this point. Not much conservancy value as they take forever to mature and not very much (if any) great success at breeding them here in States plus they can be so bloody aggressive and nasty toward their own kind that even if you have a pair there is no saying they can even be housed together sucessfully.

Actually you of all people might know the answer to this -- are their actually and captive bred PNT's anywhere in the world or are they just hatchlings from collected eggs?

Sorry to stray from your intial post. The Bronx zoo's collection is really cool. (I love the gharials they have too!)

Steve

I would also be interested in hearing if they are being bred. I was always told that no one has ever bred them successfully for the same reasons you listed. I have only heard of one breeder here in Florida who has a promising, long established colony of them. But in years of working with them there are still no CB babies. He hopes for success within a couple years though.

I am still confused on the whole Fly River (Pig Nose)issue since they are, in fact, completely illegal to import and sell unless they are CB. Even though I see them for sale all the time. I seriously doubt that all these babies in the classifieds are coming out of eggs laid by wild adults from asia. Do the authorities not really care? Are the dealers selling them ignorant about the law? Or am I totally backwards on this and have things changed?
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1.0 Woma
1.0 Australian Water Python
1.0 Australian Olive Python
1.0 Albino Green Burmese
1.0 Lereh Green Tree Python
1.1 Loxocemus bicolor (New World "Pythons" )
1.1 Hog Island Boas
0.0.1 Chinese Thread Turtle
1.0 Alligator Snapper
0.0.1 FL Red Belly
0.0.2 Leopard Tortoises
0.0.4 "Flame" Crested Geckos
1.0 Yellow Ackie

Here's the scoop. Truely captive bred PNTs are extremely rare to non-existant. All of the hatchlings that you see for sale around the world are ranched. Meaning that, hundreds of thousands of eggs are collected from nesting beaches in Papua New Guinea and possibly Iryan Jaya. Most are brought into and incubated in Indonesia somewhere and then exported in huge numbers to places like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand.

The thing with the U.S. is that some fish and wildlife ports will accept the 377 form for importing live turtles and others won't. Individual ports and F&W agencies around the country have a great deal of autonomy even though they all follow the same Federal and state laws. So, it really depends on the individual agent opening that box of PNTs after it lands in this country and deciding if the paper work is in order or not.

In southeast Asia, no, they are generally not bothering themselves with enforcing international laws that govern the importing and exporting of live turtles for the food and pet trade. For the most part, turtles are seen as a food item (much like a fish) or a true aquarium pet.

I have persnonally seen thousands of hatchling Carretochelys in holding tanks at fish farms in southeast Asia. They are sold in virtually ever aquarium store around the region for $5-10 USD.

That is pretty much what I had figured.

So pretty much when they get here and if they make through the door it is "legal" to sell one. Ya just have to hope that the agents let them pass.

Also they aren't CITES listed right?

No they are not listed on C.I.T.E.S. But they are protected from international trade in PNG and Australia.

The fly river turtles were bread in the asian rain forest and the zoo did not know untill they saw the young swimming in the pool or at least that is what one of the workers told me

I think they are known for their diversity in turtles. It also helps when they are nearby to a wonderful private collection too.
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14 Leopard Gackos 5.9.0
2 Tokay Geckos 1.1.0
1 Graybanded Kingsnake 1.0.0 (on vacation in my house)
1 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 1.0.0
1 Trachemys scripta elegans 0.0.1
coming soon...
Corn Snake, Green Anoles, crested geckos, and Yellow Rat Snakes.