biology

Hoge's side-necked turtle

Hoge's side-necked turtle is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hoge's side-necked turtle rather than just read about it. In short: Hoge's sideneck turtle (Ranacephala hogei) is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is the only member of the genus Ranacephala.

Key takeaways

Hoge's side-necked turtle belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hoge's side-necked turtle to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hoge's side-necked turtle from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hoge's sideneck turtle (Ranacephala hogei) is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is the only member of the genus Ranacephala. The species is endemic to the eastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the Carangola River of Minas Gerais and Paraíba do Sul River, Rio de Janeiro. The most documented population resides in the midsection of the Carangola River with an estimated population of less than 2000. The Official Brazilian Red List considers Hoge's sideneck turtle to be the most endangered turtle species within Brazil. It was listed by the Turtle Survival Coalition as one of the world "25 Turtles in Trouble" for 2018.

Etymology The specific name, hogei, is in honor of Brazilian-born Belgian herpetologist Alphonse Richard Hoge.

Threats The primary threat to the ongoing survival of R. hogei is habitat degradation owing to ongoing deforestation, sewage and industrial discharge, agricultural pollution, and dam construction. Another major concern is direct mortality from sports fishing, hooks with a lower threat level to turtles has been promoted in recent years, as well as two designated no-fishing zones being established along the Carangola River. Genetic studies have also shown R. hogei to have very low levels of genetic diversity, most likely owing to a population bottleneck in the past. This makes the species particularly vulnerable to disease, and potentially unable to adapt to a changing environment as well as other species.

Conservation In 2015, 236 acres of critically important nesting habitat along the Carangola River were purchased by Rainforest Trust, working alongside Fundação Biodiversitas, for $614 an acre. This was designated a permanent private protected area as outlined by the Brazilian National System of Conservation Units. R. hogei relies upon intact closed canopy rainforest for nesting, hence the agricultural practice of clearing forests to the river's edge is very damaging to the species. The Rainforest Trust also thanks the TSA (Turtle Survival Alliance), and the Wildlife Conservation Society for their help in the creation of the Hoge's Side-necked Turtle Reserve. In 2014 an environmental education program was created featuring the Hoge's sideneck turtle, complete with an educational video and teachers guide material.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hoge's side-necked turtle

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hoge's side-necked turtle claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hoge's side-necked turtle before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hoge's side-necked turtle ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hoge's side-necked turtle

In research: Hoge's side-necked turtle appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hoge's side-necked turtle in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hoge's side-necked turtle is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chelidae, Endemic reptiles of Brazil, Fauna of the Atlantic Forest, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hoge's side-necked turtle outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Hoge's side-necked turtle” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Hoge's side-necked turtle in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hoge's side-necked turtle means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hoge's side-necked turtle out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hoge's side-necked turtle in simple terms?

Hoge's sideneck turtle (Ranacephala hogei) is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is the only member of the genus Ranacephala.

Why does Hoge's side-necked turtle matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hoge's side-necked turtle?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hoge's side-necked turtle.