Zebra Style!

What Lies Beneath

Is a giant sea turtle with fish gnawing on his shell. Yum.
And the papparazzi there to witness this!

A New Secret Spot

Been hiding in these old crates left on the porch. Perfect for shade when the sun is too hot to handle. Another benefit is that blackberry bush will be dropping fruit soon. Dare I say "lavish"?

Roger is Out There

My protector, Roger, was recently found hiding in the pansies, looking rather pale. Under the dense brush, he is still armed and ready to protect!

Mama's Masterpiece

Not sure how I feel about being included in her painting.
I don't remember signing anything...

Got My Eye on You

Enjoying a warm summer day relaxing on a piece of insulation leftover from hurricane Sandy. It's pink!

Kiwi Cake

Nothing sweeter than a kiwi turtle cake!

BBQ Time!

Don't forget about the delicious turtle burger of monstrous proportions, coming to your grill this summer!

Going Camo

I love when the grass is overgrown and nobody can see me when I cruise the back garden. I feel so free. Born free.

Get Around

That's right, I get around. Well, when I'm out of my tank, I do. And I am proud to take ownership of my ability to move forward in life, unlike some people I know.

The Work Out

Turtle in the Deep End!

HAPPY SUMMER, EVERYONE!

Rock On!

Trying to teach mama some yoga moves.

Barriers for Protection

Increased motor vehicle traffic on the causeways between the mainland and the barrier islands of coastal southern New Jersey is a growing threat to diamondback terrapins. Development on the barrier islands has destroyed most of the sand dunes that originally served as the primary nesting site for terrapins. With the disappearance of sand dunes, females have had to find alternative nesting grounds, primarily the shoulders of roads crossing and adjacent to their native salt marshes.

Embankments of causeways have proved to be a dangerous substitute for sand dunes, resulting in hundreds of terrapin roadkills annually.
     In 2004 researchers from the Wetlands Institute began to install temporary silt fencing along the coastal causeways, in an attempt to reduce road mortality of nesting terrapins in areas known to be major “kill zones.” For three summers, the fencing along Stone Harbor Boulevard reduced terrapin mortality, on average, approximately 84 percent. In 2006, in an attempt to improve the fencing project, a 1,000-foot section of a new fencing material, “Tenax” (a thick, mesh material), was installed to determine its durability in the harsh coastal conditions over the course of a year. The Tenax proved to be durable, so in 2007 the Wetlands Institute installed the year-round Tenax fence along the entire section of Stone Harbor Boulevard. In addition, the fencing project was expanded to include a mile and a half section of Avalon Boulevard (using a combination of both Tenax and silt fence material), which, because the fence was installed in a continuous line with no openings, resulted in a 100 percent reduction of terrapin roadkills.
     By 2009 the Tenax fencing, susceptable to snow damage from plowing and damage from weed whackers, was also showing signs of deterioration. Six-inch corrugated plastic drainage pipe was proven experimentally to be an effective barrier, and in June 2010 over 7,000 feet of corrugated tubing was installed along the Margate Causeway. It proved much quicker and easier to install than either silt or Tenax net fencing.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

c'mon, he KNOWS he can!

Oh Boy, It's Koi!

Maybe this summer I will get treated to a pond full of friendly but abnormally puffy-eyed koi fish. Maybe not.

Another Pisser

My Heart Will Go On!

Friends

Hans always has my back.

Doggy BFFs

World Turtle Day is May 23

Let's support our hard-shelled mud and corn-loving friends this week!

Click here for more information.

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:

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.

Nabbed!

March 2013 - Two smugglers were nabbed in Thailand as they tried to smuggle some of the rarest tortoises in the world.

CLICK HERE for the full story

Like Henry's friend Jim says: SNUGGLE, not SMUGGLE!

Forget Moby Dick!