These albino soft-shelled Chinese turtles are set to be the star attraction at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth These albino turtles have been adopted by an aquarium whose shell-shocked staff took pity on their unusual looks.
A student asked the aquarium to home the Chinese soft-shelled turtles when she left university because she was unable to take them with her.
Staff at the Blue Reef Aquarium, in Portsmouth, Hampshire, were taken by the creatures' rare colouring.
The four turtles, which are usually a brown-green, have an extremely long neck and tube-like nostrils which they use as a snorkel.
They are a delicacy in Asia, where they are used in turtle soup and traditional medicine.
The former pets are now in quarantine but will join a shoal of giant carp in an open-top freshwater display.
They are thought to be about three or four-years-old. The smallest has a shell that is just a few inches long, while the biggest is six inches.
Lindsay Holloway, general manager at Blue Reef, said: 'An albino soft-shell turtle is very rare.
'Their light colouring would make them extremely vulnerable in the wild because they would stand out and be an easy target for predators.
The turtles are considered a delicacy in Asia and are used in soups and traditional medicine 'People think they are very ugly but I think they are adorable, especially the expression on their faces when they extend their neck.
'The fact that these individuals are also albino makes them even more peculiar to look at.
'We would not normally adopt turtles in this way but these looked so unusual we had to say yes. I'm sure our visitors will find them fascinating.'
He added: 'These turtles are often farmed and used in soup or as an ingredient in Asian medicine but we won't be serving them in our cafe.
'Once fully grown they can reach up to 30cm in length and will provide a fascinating new addition to our giant carp display.'
In the wild, the turtle is mainly nocturnal and eats anything from crustaceans and insects to small fish and amphibians.
They often lie in wait, buried in sand or mud with only their heads visible waiting to snatch at passing prey.
Due to intensive farming methods and the loss of its natural habitat the species is now officially classed as 'vulnerable' on the Red List of Threatened Species.
source: dailymail
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