The 2013 Annual NYTTS Turtle and Tortoise Show

Show Judge Pete Warny with leopard tortoise

The 39th Annual Turtle and Tortoise Show was held on Saturday, June 22, 2013, at the Village Community School in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Best In Show was awarded to Frank Schneider for his eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina).

NYTTS thanks Pete Warny, shown left with Frank and right with leopard tortoise. This was Pete’s his first year as Show Judge. His knowledge and enthusiasm for turtles and the people who love turtles are greatly appreciated.

Judging — Awarding of ribbons is based not only on the quality of the animal (configuration and form, uniqueness, and rarity of species) but also upon ownership responsibility (length of ownership, general health and physical condition, and apparent quality of husbandry). Significant credit is also given when animals have been successfully bred in captivity. When it becomes apparent more than one animal in a person’s collection has benefited from high quality of husbandry, the group (a breeding pair and offspring, or long-term captives in good health) is recognized accordingly. These are designated as “breeding groups” or “husbandry groups” below.

Photos by Anita Salzberg

Turtle Names

The common names of turtles and tortoises vary widely by country and region. To maintain consistency, John Iverson’s scheme of common names (A Revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World) has been followed. Therefore, a number of familiar names many of us use informally may have been partly altered or replaced. See the following informal common names and the equivalent Iverson common names below:

Burmese brown tortoise (Manouria emys) = Asian brown tortoise
Chinese box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata) = Yellow-margined box turtle
Flat-tailed tortoise (Pyxis planicauda() = Flat-shelled spider tortoise
Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) = Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise
Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) = Central Asian tortoise
Sulcata (Centrochelys sulcata) = African spurred tortoise

First Place — Blue Ribbon Winners

Frank Schneider, Best In Show — Eastern box turtle (Terrapene c. carolina)

Anthony Cartelli — Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni)

Janice Glock-Jones — Yellow-margined box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata)

Sheri Greenspan — Reeve's turtle (Chinemys reevesii)

Matt Hybel — Husbandry group: 1 mata mata (Chelus fimbriata), 1 alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), and 1 Asian brown tortoise (Manouria emys)

Kay Martin — Red-cheeked mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum)

Sara Ramos — Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Frank Schneider— Husbandry group: 1 leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis babcocki), 2 pancake tortoises (Malacohersus tornieri), and 1 Asian brown tortoise (Manouria emys)

Bob Seaver — Yellow-margined box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata}

Larry Smith — Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis

Gary Weiler — Pair: red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Second Place — Red Ribbon Winners

Mariette Bailey — Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys t. terrapin)

Kelsey Cartelli — Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)

Frankie Fischer — Pair: red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Allen P. W. Karen — Husbandry group: 1 leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis and pair: Central Asian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii)

Kay Martin — 2 Red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Sara Ramos — Husbandry group: 1 eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys p. picta) and 1 red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Sara Ramos — Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Frank Schneider— Mata mata (Chelus fimbriata)

Michael Sherwin — Husbandry group: 1 Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata) and 1 common snapping turtle (Chelydra s. serpentina)

Barbara Torres — Red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Third Place — White Ribbon Winners

Mariette Bailey — Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Sheri Greenspan — Husbandry group: Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) and red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Matt Hybel — Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)

Matt Hybel — Mata mata (Chelus fimbriata)

Allen P. W. Karen — Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)

Kay Martin — Yellow-margined box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata)

John McQuillan & Lesley Brunelle — 1 red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Frank Schneider— Husbandry group: 1 box turtle (Terrapene c. carolina), 1 pancake tortoises (Malacohersus tornieri), and 1 Home’s hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys homeana)

Barbara Torres — 1 red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Lee Tucker — Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

NYTTS gratefully acknowledges ZooMed Laboratories, Inc., That Pet Place, and Unco Industries, Inc.–Vermiculture, for their ongoing donations of gift certificates and turtle and tortoise care supplies, made available at our Annual Turtle and Tortoise Shows.