A case of Emys orbicularis (L.) feeding on newts from Bulgaria

Abstract

Different amphibians and amphibian larvae were already observed and described as part of the diet of the European pond turtle. Few studies report body parts from adult newts in the stomach content of Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) or newts predated by the same pond turtle species. We observed remains of Triturus dobrogicus (Kiritzescu, 1903) and Trituris ivanbureschi Arntzen & Wielstra, 2013 eaten by E. orbicularis inside funnel traps, which strongly suggests, that newts are part of the diet, although not typical and often eaten food by this pond turtle.