It's Hans Season!

That's right, folks. Even though Hans never leaves, he's BACK! My leiderhosen'd friend has a permanent post as my BFF.

Underwater Smooch

No tongue!

Working It, Bicycle Style

Speedo season is right around the corner. Gotta work it.

Rest for the Weary

Been a long, strange, exhausting winter. Must rest before gearing up for summer action. Like running wild on the porch, or letting the wind blow off a scute. I know the warmth is out there.

Adventure Aquarium - Camden

Go visit the Adventure Aquarium this summer!

1 Riverside Drive
Camden, NJ 08103
856.365.3300 

My Cousin: The Madagascar Spider Tortoise

The Madagascar Spider Tortoise is a small reptile, with an oblong shell that is highly curved and widens towards the rear. The shell is decorated with five to eight yellow lines radiating out from a yellow centre, against a dark brown or black background. The shell on the underside of the tortoise, known as the plastron, is yellow. This species are estimated to live for up to 70 years.

The spider tortoise is endemic  to  the arid regions of the coastal areas of south-western Madagascar. The spider tortoise is most active during the wet season, between November and April, when the vegetation is relatively lush, and the tortoise can feed on grasses, young leaves, the roots of succulents, and insects attracted to the flourishing plants.

Many spider tortoises bury themselves deep into the sand and aestivate for the duration of the colder and drier weather, understood to be an energy and moisture-saving tactic for when vegetation is sparse.



NOTE: 26 April 2010: The Madagascar spider tortoise, one of southern Madagascar’s endemic and iconic species was recently upgraded to ‘Critically Endangered’ status on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List for Threatened Species. This small and intricately patterned tortoise has faced risks to its long term survival as a result of habitat destruction and poaching for local consumption as food, in addition to being illegally exported to support the exotic pet trade.

I'm Coming for You

happy birthday, Reggie!

Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary

The Turtle Islands is part of the Sulu Archipelago which is composed of approximately 400 islands of varying shapes and sizes. It is located at the southwestern tip of the Philippines.

 Part of the UNESCO and World Heritage Convention, the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary is regarded as the only major nesting ground with more than 1,000 nesters annually of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the whole region. There are only 10 remaining nesting sites worldwide. Around Great Bakkungan Island, the Malay Box Turtle which was never seen at other islands has been observed visiting its shores. Presence of sea snakes and terrestial snakes have also been recorded in the island.

Click here for more information

 

Kitty BFFs

Still Waiting

I know something is going on out there...

and I'm missing out!

Party Animal

This little guy knows how to rock a camp site, especially with the ladies:

My Cousin: The Mata Mata Turtle

First thought: what the heck is that? I'd say one of the more mysterious and bizarre species.

The Mata Mata Turtle is a fresh water turtle found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. These are large, sedentary, brown or black turtles that sport a large triangular flattened head characterized with many tubercles and flaps of skin and a "horn" on its long and tubular snout. There are three barbels on the chin and four additional barbels at the upper jaw, which is neither hooked nor notched. These features may be meant to allow the turtle to resemble a piece of bark, with the head resembling fallen leaves, camouflaging it from possible predators.

LOOK at this creature!!!

This sneaky guy blends into surrounding vegetation until its prey comes close. The mata mata thrusts out its head and opens its large mouth as wide as possible, creating a low-pressure vacuum that sucks the prey into its mouth, known as suction feeding. The mata mata snaps its mouth shut, the water is slowly expelled, and the fish is swallowed whole; the mata mata cannot chew due to the way its mouth is constructed. The mata mata is carnivorous, feeding exclusively upon aquatic invertebrates and fish.

This species grow quite large, is slow-moving and prefers shallow water. They have wide mouths that occupy the entire front of the face, often appear smiling, and extraordinarily long necks. Since they can grow to 18 inches long, their size doubles when the neck is extended.

As with all aquatic turtles, water quality is one of the keys to keeping this species successfully in captivity.

Slowsky Fun Time

Dreaming of Turtle Island

Mama's looking for a little vacation and I'd like to recommend none other than Turtle Island, Fiji, the location for the movie Blue Lagoon.

Click to learn more about Turtle Island. Then plan your trip (and take mama with you)!

Butterfly Season!

I love them so much. And they love me.

It's Gangnam Style!

Ugly Dog, Handsome Turtle

Coffee Anyone?

It would be nice to have a fine cup of java waiting for me in the morning... but no...

Back in the Saddle

Spring must be around the corner. I suddenly found myself taking that long hike up the rock to the dock, looking for a view... and some warmth from the light.

What a Pisser!

From DiscoveryMagazine.com:

You Like Turtles? Urine for a Surprise

Learning from tricky turtles may help humans with kidney failure.

By Brendan Borrell|Thursday, March 07, 2013

 

Yuen K. Ip knew something funky was going on inside the mouths of Chinese soft-shelled turtles. When they were on dry land, they dunked their heads in puddles and gargled. “Why would they do that?” asks Ip, a physiologist at the National University of Singapore. It turns out they were simply peeing. From their mouths.

Mouth-peeing is more than just a neat trick—it’s essential for maintaining these turtles’ deviant lifestyles. Unlike other freshwater turtles, these guys venture into brackish water for days at a time. In this challenging environment, their bodies break down protein and produce toxic ammonia, packaging it as urea.

The load is so great that they cannot just drink water and flush it out because their kidneys would be overwhelmed by the salts. Instead, these turtles have molecular pumps in their mouths that help move the urea out.

Ip thinks his research could help humans with kidney failure, either by creating a more efficient dialysis machine or through gene therapy to enable humans to mimic the turtle and eliminate urea via the mouth. It may just work. “What we are doing is learning from nature,” he says.