Feeding Ecology of Four Freshwater Turtle Species in Pothwar Plateau and its Potential Implication in Turtle Farming in Pakistan

Turtles are being used in different countries for meat and eggs. This increasing demand of turtles in market has led people to start turtle farming. Farming practices are usually kept as secret by farmers due to competition. This study was conducted to observe the diet composition of freshwater turtle species inhabiting the Pothwar Plateau by using stomach contents flushing method, so that it may help the turtle farmers for better production. Stomach contents samples (n=410) of four different turtle species were collected from the study area and fixed in 70% ethanol till final analysis. During analysis, each sample was segregated into different categories including animal matter (insects and other invertebrates), plant matter (like vegetation including algae), and other materials. Contents were identified up to the lowest possible taxa. Analysis of stomach contents of freshwater turtles revealed five different kinds of prey items including insects, earthworms, snails, plants, and algae, in addition to soil particles and some unidentified material. The turtles were found omnivorous in their feeding behavior, but highly opportunistic, feeding on any available prey item in the environment. Mean percent volume (% V) of prey items recovered from stomach contents included insects (26.3%), earthworms (19.9%), snails (16.1%), plants (10.2%), algae (11.4%), soil particles (7.5%) and unidentified material (8.4%). (C) 2018 Friends Science Publishers