Food habits of the Chinese stripe-necked turtle, Ocadia sinensis, in the Keelung River, northern Taiwan

Stomach contents from 186 Ocadia sinensis collected from the Keelung River, northern Taiwan, between July 1995 and April 1997 were examined. Diet comp osition varied by sex. Females shifted from an omnivorous to a herbivorous diet as they grew, and they consumed more plant material compared to males. Volumetrically, plant matter represented 87.7% of the total stomach conten ts in females, whereas it only constituted 39.5% in males. Seasonal differe nces in diets were also found. Animal matter contributed more to cool seaso n diets. Females, especially, tended to take plants in much greater proport ion in the warm season (94.8% in volume) compared to the cool season (50.9% ). In males, animal matter occupied 54.4% and 71.1% of the total volume of stomach contents both in the warm and cool season, respectively. The percen tage of empty stomachs was greater in the cool season (41.2%) than in the w arm season (13.3%).