The forest turtle, also known as the Red Eared Slider, is a medium-sized reptile that has a hard shell. It is from the family Allidae which also includes such animals as lechros, iguanas and sloths. This family also includes the sea turtles and the monitor lizards. The first recorded specimens were found in what is now Mexico. The specimen which has most been described belongs to a local native of Coahuila, Mexico which was about 20 inches long.
It is widely distributed throughout the northern part of its range, with the exception of the Pacific Ocean, which it generally cannot survive. It can be found living in rocky areas, swamps, rivers, creeks and even in saltwater marshes. They also live in estuaries and along coasts.
The habitat of the Tortoise varies greatly depending on where it lives. They can be found in wooded swamps, rocky areas, shallow banks and rocky areas. They also sometimes visit sandbars and lowland areas. During mating season they become aggressive and attempt to mate with any living creature they can find. When they mate their eggs are called incubators and when they hatch they need warmth and are not able to survive without it for long.
The male of the species can be found in a variety of colors such as bright red, orange, yellow and black. The females are usually gray, brown or gray with dark colored fluff coating their undersides. Hunters and those who look for items like fish eggs or turtle nests often mistake them for leopard geckos. However, they are not the same in size and cannot be mistaken for them.
Due to their physical size they need extensive shell care in order to prevent them from becoming ill or even killed by predators. Hunters and those who look for things like turtle eggs or turtle nests are often scared off by the sight of one since they can grow extremely large. It is best to avoid such hunters especially if you intend on bringing home a healthy tortoise.
The diet of a forest tortoise is very similar to that of leopard geckos. They eat slushy algae, preformed pellets, earthworms, worms, grubs, earth and carrion. Tortoises are omnivorous, which means that they will eat both meat and plant matter. Their habitat mainly ranges from rocky areas to moist forests. They are social animals and live in pairs, having a gestation period of around three and a half months.