Description
The shell of Mauremys leprosa is low, slightly convex, its outline is oval, narrower in males; the back scales bear a continuous hull and discontinuous vertebral ribs that fade with age. The plate is still rigid, without articulation; posterior scales clearly notched in front of the tail. It is very long in the newborn, and then decreases its proportions during growth, conversely, the narrow head becomes proportionally large in older specimen. In the French population of Mauremys leprosa, the length of the carapace 160 mm in males and 170 mm in females, in some non-indigenous specimen (e.g. in Morocco) the length can reach 250 mm.

The back is grey, brown, reddish or olive, more or less dark, with, among hatchlings, on each shell, winding figures of reddish or tan color; the underside is yellow with large black spots that fade during growth, often fading completely. A greenish brown color, the sides of the head, neck, limbs, and tail are decorated with white to orange-yellow lines, those on the side of the head, wind around a usually round isolation spot, this decoration also fades with age; and the yellow iris is crossed out by a dark line , sometimes accompanied by a circle and / or two dark points at right corners of the stripe.

Distribution and Habitat
The Mediterranean Turtle is a species unique to western Mediterranean regions. In Europe, it is limited almost exclusively to the Iberian Peninsula, from which it barely goes beyond north-east of the French Pyrenees. In Africa it is widely spread over the three Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), reaching western Libya. Very abundant in the north of this region, it quickly becomes scarce near the pre-Saharan area. A few isolated specimens, with a gap in dispersion show a recent decline in air distribution, linked to desertification.

In France, the species has been reported from the Atlantic side of the Pyrenees (probably in error), from the Hérault (some isolated cases) and from the eastern-Pyrenees. It is assumed that currently only specimen observed in the latter area are actual populations, however small - since it’s not sure whether they are sustainable, some specialists are reluctant to classify them as actual populations.

Lifestyle
Sexual maturity of this turtle is about 4-5 years in males (with shells in the length of about 90 mm) and 7-8 years in females (shells in the length of 110 mm). Mating takes place in water during the spring time and the female lays her eggs between April and August, 3 to 12 eggs.
Mauremys leprosa’s diet is predominantly carnivorous; the food spectrum is very wide, and dependent on the local availability as opportunism of the species. The live prey is mainly invertebrates: insects, arachnids, worms, mollusks, adults and larvae, invertebrates (especially fish and amphibians) are captured only if they are weak, sick and away from shelter (lying in the process of drying). The plant part occurs mainly in the stomach contents or feces, it includes long filamentous algae. However the consumption of plants is not accidental.

Protection
The North African and Iberian populations may still be regarded as stable and abundant, at least locally. In France, the recent counts (1998) show in the main known