Population Structure and Growth of the Japanese Pond Turtle, Mauremys japonica

Abstract

A study of the Japanese pond turtle, Mauremys japonica, was conducted at a district in the northern part of Mie Prefecture from mid-May to mid-December in 1985. A total of 141 turtles were marked and the sex ratio of captured turtles was regarded as 1:1. From the analysis of age structure, it appears that the females live longer than the males. The females are markedly larger than the males, growing to about 180mm in carapace length, whereas the males grow to about 110mm.