The turtles living in the fountain at the Ludwig von Mises Library on the Francisco Marroquín University campus are known for their fondness for sunlight and interaction with visitors. According to staff at the university’s Arboretum, these turtles often approach people who come near the fountain, especially when food is offered.
Observers may find it challenging to spot them due to their ability to blend into their surroundings. However, with careful attention, they can be seen basking on sunlit rocks around the fountain area.
The Arboretum reports that two species of turtles inhabit the campus: Trachemys scripta and Trachemys venusta. The Trachemys scripta has an oval, slightly flattened shell with yellow lines and a weak dorsal ridge. Its plastron connects to the shell by a narrow bridge, and its head is large with robust limbs featuring webbed toes. This species can grow up to 60 centimeters long. In Central America, there is little sexual dimorphism compared to populations in the United States. Each pleural and vertebral scute features a light ocellus with a black center; juveniles may have red ocelli. The head, neck, and arms display greenish-gray or brown colors marked by orange or yellow lines. These turtles are known for basking for extended periods on rocks or branches near water bodies and are sometimes used as food or sold illegally as pets.
Trachemys venusta can reach lengths of up to 48 centimeters. They have a distinctive yellow, reddish, or orange band extending from behind each eye toward the neck and limbs patterned with dark and light bands. Their oval shell has a wider posterior end and features a vertebral keel. Each scute displays a dark brown or black ocellus surrounded by dark green and orange rings that fade with age. The plastron is yellow with geometric spots and lines most visible in young individuals. Females tend to be larger than males, who have longer and thicker tails. These turtles are omnivorous but feed mainly on meat when young.
The Arboretum emphasizes environmental stewardship through lessons drawn from observing these campus turtles: "Las tortugas del campus, discretas pero perseverantes, recuerdan que la libertad y la responsabilidad individual son también las mejores aliadas del ambiente." (Campus turtles, discreet but persistent, remind us that freedom and individual responsibility are also the best allies of the environment.)
For more information about environmental education initiatives at Francisco Marroquín University’s Arboretum, interested parties can contact arboretum@ufm.edu.
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