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Turtle ! A few more turtle pics added....keep posting your turtle pics.
A turtle story from way back when I was in Kindergarten (age 5). Our classroom had a resident painted turtle that probably came from Woolworths and lived in one of those plastic turtle set ups of the time. It was a very small baby type but had made it through a few years of prior classes.
Every year, our teacher would invite younger kids that would be starting Kindergarten in the next Autumn cycle to visit our class for a day. My little brother Mark was among that bunch and seemed to really enjoy playing with our turtle in the sandbox! When the next day came along, the teacher was acting quite frantic. The turtle was missing!! We all spent a great deal of time searching but never found the poor little fella.
Many months passed. Then one day one of the kids was playing with the toy robot and noticed that something was rattling around inside when he shook it. When it was opened up.......a very dead and smelly turtle was found!!
We have some western box turtles, that we have had 30 years. They were adult when we received them, making them 10 years or older at that time. The oldest female still lays eggs. The verified record for a box turtle is a bit over 150 years, one marked on George Washington's property as part of a survey, and recovered several years ago in another survey.
I saw this beast in a field today, 100 yards from the French Broad River. He is 16 inches long. Isn't this a water turtle? Why is he so far from the river?
Allen that is a female painted turtle, and yes she is aquatic. 16 inches is very large for a painted. Most likely she is out of the water to dig a nest. More amazing is the hatchlings finding their way to water.
The good news, HeDog, it is a hay field. They just cut the hay a week ago. There will be no traffic in the field for several months.
The bad news, in August they will cut the second crop of hay, and turtles will get smushed by big hay cutting machines. How long does it take for turtles to hatch, and hit the road. or, to hit the French Broad River.
Allen, a lot depends upon temperature, and time of ovoposition. Box turtles can take between 60 and 120 days, painteds may be less as indicated above. This is an early clutch so probably between August and September. With later clutches here, the neonates frequently over winter in the nest cavity and emerge the following spring.
I posted this previously but, I seen for years now painted turtles 300 yards & more form our lake on a local golf course I'm assuming laying eggs probably in there sand traps!
If the sand traps are well watered, you are probably right. Soft shelled turtles usually lay eggs in sandy beaches or sandy islands, but they dig down to damp sand. That prevents the eggs from dehydrating. Snapping turtles frequently do the same.
I have handled turtles since I was a little boy. I have never been careful about hand washing, and have even eaten right after handling a turtle. Never have I gotten sick. Maybe I'm immune, or maybe I'm lucky.
This is one EDBD 3-toed box turtle, a gift from a longtime and dear friend. I probably didn't wash after I shot this picture.
Nor have I Nunn and I have handled thousands of reptiles over 65 years+ and have been somewhat cavalier about bites, scratches and handling aquatic turtles and crocodilians. Never had an infection. That probably does not make it a really good practice. They say lucky is better than good, but I never really go that.
I looked in on my turtles in their outdoor pen. There was a fresh burrow. I thought my lady 3-toed may have laid eggs. She and her gentleman friend have sure been behaving shamefully, a lot, but I found those two across the pen.
The hole was open, so I put in my hand. No eggs, but there is my female ornate, buried up 4" below the surface. I didn't disturb her once I felt her shell.
Temp today was in the 80s, here in NE Texas. Reckon she was hiding from the sun? She didn't bury up until evening. And she had just eaten, a lot.
I don't have a male ornate, so I doubt she is burying eggs. A professional herpetologist friend says a 3-toed will not breed with an ornate.
I'm not worried; I've just never seen such behavior before.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I posted that on Facebook, and several box turtle enthusiasts declared that three-toes and ornates will breed, and they also said that the behavior I described is a nesting behavior.
Then, I got to thinking about the King snakes I have encountered around here. Where I live is in the natural range of both the Speckled King and Prairie King snakes. I have found both here, and I know they interbreed. All the Speckles I find here have their specks arranged in the pattern of the Prairie King, so I know there was some hanky panky going on.
Eastern (three toed) and western (ornate) box turtles will mate, but resulting neonates are very rare. Genetically, they are note quite compatible. I have seen photos of some, but they were just not quite right and they did not prosper. Females dig in head first, then rotate to head up to lay. If they remain carapace up they are just digging in for the night. Most of ours either dig in or go to the artificial burrows I have consturcted. I can see speckled and Texas interbreeding, but prairie and speckled would surprise me. Juvenile speckled do show a pattern not unlike other kings with squares of unspeckled scales down the dorsum. I would love to see photos if you seen any more examples.
Those guys can cover a lot of land. I have encountered them half way between to lakes a mile apart. They have either been driven out by a more dominate male, are looking for females, or maybe it is just a road trip. Female snappers rarely nest far from water.
I got a half dozen painted turtles that sun themselves on rocks in the river. I want to get some pics, and I have a $700 Nikon with a 6 power lens. Just about good enough for National Geographic.
As I walk the river road with my Beagle, when we get within 100 yards, all the turtles jump into the river.
Why?
Because sick and twisted hillbillies have, for years, pulled up and shot turtles off of the rocks with their .22s
Was on a construction project in AZ. Solar power plant. 2000 acres, flat as a ruler, no trees. However, there was an endangered species of Dry Land Tortoise there, and there was a US Fish & Game biologist on the project. And we had.... turtle shepherds. You could not touch one- but if one wandered into the project, to keep them from being run over, they were assigned a shepherd. Hard hat, traffic vest, 7 ft staff w/ orange flag. Stay 5-10 ft from turtle. Turtle moves, you move. Don't touch the turtle. Remember thinking that would make an interesting resume entry.
Interesting, I would call that a desert king snake. Well, maybe I was thinking Texas Rat, and typing faster than my brain. If you buy that, I have this bridge you might like.
I just pulled a turtle rescue. Dangerous. I was driving on US 25/70 near Marshall NC. Fairly busy US highway, speed limit 45. There in my lane was a box turtle, he was 3 feet onto the road and hauling a*s, for a turtle, towards the left to cross the road.
Dangerous! No shoulder. I stopped and hit the flashers and carried him across the road. In those 25 seconds five cars passed me from the other direction, and three cars had stopped behind me.
This falls into the "More guts than brains" category. However, had I not carried the little mite across the road, without doubt he would have been killed. I'm glad I didn't cause a car wreck.
I one stopped on I-40 to move a box turtle off the road, only to watch a semi swerve to the edge of the lane to flatten it. Good thing the Colt was in my pick u🤬
I stop and move turtles off the road when possible.... The little boogers seem to get tired and stop in the worse places ! The couple of snappers I have moved were NOT grateful for the help....🐢
Had a E-5 squad leader at Ft. Leonard Wood that had a pet box turtle. He drilled two small holes on each side of his shell, in back. Then he attached a half moon stainless steel wire. He would snap on a small leash and walk his turtle up to the mini PX about a block away from the barracks. We'd be sitting out front the barracks, ( old wooden 2 story WWII barracks) drinking beer and the new guy would always ask where Sgt. went. We'd tell him he went to walk his pet up to the mini PX. They'd reply yeah but that's just a block away and he's been gone X amount of time. " yeah, we know, but you haven't seen his pet". When he finally got back we'd all laugh at the look on the new guys face. Fun times.
Comments
looking for just the right spot
A turtle story from way back when I was in Kindergarten (age 5). Our classroom had a resident painted turtle that probably came from Woolworths and lived in one of those plastic turtle set ups of the time. It was a very small baby type but had made it through a few years of prior classes.
Every year, our teacher would invite younger kids that would be starting Kindergarten in the next Autumn cycle to visit our class for a day. My little brother Mark was among that bunch and seemed to really enjoy playing with our turtle in the sandbox! When the next day came along, the teacher was acting quite frantic. The turtle was missing!! We all spent a great deal of time searching but never found the poor little fella.
Many months passed. Then one day one of the kids was playing with the toy robot and noticed that something was rattling around inside when he shook it. When it was opened up.......a very dead and smelly turtle was found!!
We have some western box turtles, that we have had 30 years. They were adult when we received them, making them 10 years or older at that time. The oldest female still lays eggs. The verified record for a box turtle is a bit over 150 years, one marked on George Washington's property as part of a survey, and recovered several years ago in another survey.
I saw this beast in a field today, 100 yards from the French Broad River. He is 16 inches long. Isn't this a water turtle? Why is he so far from the river?
How about this one: Best Regards - AQH
https://puppynew.com/an-enormous-turtle-weighing-one-ton-and-measuring-5-meters-long-has-emerged-on-the-shores-of-florida-causing-a-stir-among-the-local-residents-b/
Allen that is a female painted turtle, and yes she is aquatic. 16 inches is very large for a painted. Most likely she is out of the water to dig a nest. More amazing is the hatchlings finding their way to water.
I have noticed most people seem to have no malace towards turtles just give them a pass or take them off the road to help save them
maybe because they just do what they have did for thousands of years go about their day In a peaceful manner
ok their are the ones that get eaten lol I have heard they have 7 flavors of meat and are good in stew or soup
I have never tried any turtle meat my dad said did when he was younger but they had to eat just about anything they could find to get by
I do remember my southern family members when i was about 9 or 10 yrs old talking about tarpins eating up theor gardens .
They said they just moved them out of the gardens they did not kill them just move them far away from their garden which surprised me .
Some years later I found they were calling the box turtles tarpins ? I think that's how they pronounced it
The good news, HeDog, it is a hay field. They just cut the hay a week ago. There will be no traffic in the field for several months.
The bad news, in August they will cut the second crop of hay, and turtles will get smushed by big hay cutting machines. How long does it take for turtles to hatch, and hit the road. or, to hit the French Broad River.
A quick exercise of my Google Fu shows that the gestation period for painted turtles eggs is 72-80 days.
Allen, a lot depends upon temperature, and time of ovoposition. Box turtles can take between 60 and 120 days, painteds may be less as indicated above. This is an early clutch so probably between August and September. With later clutches here, the neonates frequently over winter in the nest cavity and emerge the following spring.
I posted this previously but, I seen for years now painted turtles 300 yards & more form our lake on a local golf course I'm assuming laying eggs probably in there sand traps!
or they could have been getting in a quick nine
Always found them on the back 9! Maybe they already played the front 9. Just don't understand why they venture so far from the water?!
If the sand traps are well watered, you are probably right. Soft shelled turtles usually lay eggs in sandy beaches or sandy islands, but they dig down to damp sand. That prevents the eggs from dehydrating. Snapping turtles frequently do the same.
Another borrowed internet picture that really got my attention!!
😲
That left a scar!😧
I always liked Cecil Turtle
I have handled turtles since I was a little boy. I have never been careful about hand washing, and have even eaten right after handling a turtle. Never have I gotten sick. Maybe I'm immune, or maybe I'm lucky.
This is one EDBD 3-toed box turtle, a gift from a longtime and dear friend. I probably didn't wash after I shot this picture.
Nor have I Nunn and I have handled thousands of reptiles over 65 years+ and have been somewhat cavalier about bites, scratches and handling aquatic turtles and crocodilians. Never had an infection. That probably does not make it a really good practice. They say lucky is better than good, but I never really go that.
He Dog:
I looked in on my turtles in their outdoor pen. There was a fresh burrow. I thought my lady 3-toed may have laid eggs. She and her gentleman friend have sure been behaving shamefully, a lot, but I found those two across the pen.
The hole was open, so I put in my hand. No eggs, but there is my female ornate, buried up 4" below the surface. I didn't disturb her once I felt her shell.
Temp today was in the 80s, here in NE Texas. Reckon she was hiding from the sun? She didn't bury up until evening. And she had just eaten, a lot.
I don't have a male ornate, so I doubt she is burying eggs. A professional herpetologist friend says a 3-toed will not breed with an ornate.
I'm not worried; I've just never seen such behavior before.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I posted that on Facebook, and several box turtle enthusiasts declared that three-toes and ornates will breed, and they also said that the behavior I described is a nesting behavior.
Then, I got to thinking about the King snakes I have encountered around here. Where I live is in the natural range of both the Speckled King and Prairie King snakes. I have found both here, and I know they interbreed. All the Speckles I find here have their specks arranged in the pattern of the Prairie King, so I know there was some hanky panky going on.
This rascal was cruising along, headed back to the swamp. That's a leach on his back.
Eastern (three toed) and western (ornate) box turtles will mate, but resulting neonates are very rare. Genetically, they are note quite compatible. I have seen photos of some, but they were just not quite right and they did not prosper. Females dig in head first, then rotate to head up to lay. If they remain carapace up they are just digging in for the night. Most of ours either dig in or go to the artificial burrows I have consturcted. I can see speckled and Texas interbreeding, but prairie and speckled would surprise me. Juvenile speckled do show a pattern not unlike other kings with squares of unspeckled scales down the dorsum. I would love to see photos if you seen any more examples.
Those guys can cover a lot of land. I have encountered them half way between to lakes a mile apart. They have either been driven out by a more dominate male, are looking for females, or maybe it is just a road trip. Female snappers rarely nest far from water.
I got a half dozen painted turtles that sun themselves on rocks in the river. I want to get some pics, and I have a $700 Nikon with a 6 power lens. Just about good enough for National Geographic.
As I walk the river road with my Beagle, when we get within 100 yards, all the turtles jump into the river.
Why?
Because sick and twisted hillbillies have, for years, pulled up and shot turtles off of the rocks with their .22s
You can drive by pronghorn all day and they never stop eating. Stop, and they evaporate over the hill. Same reason Allen my friend.
Was on a construction project in AZ. Solar power plant. 2000 acres, flat as a ruler, no trees. However, there was an endangered species of Dry Land Tortoise there, and there was a US Fish & Game biologist on the project. And we had.... turtle shepherds. You could not touch one- but if one wandered into the project, to keep them from being run over, they were assigned a shepherd. Hard hat, traffic vest, 7 ft staff w/ orange flag. Stay 5-10 ft from turtle. Turtle moves, you move. Don't touch the turtle. Remember thinking that would make an interesting resume entry.
There's a Texas king snake? The Speckles I see here look something like this:
In the right herpetological circles- grad schools- you bet your bippy.
Interesting, I would call that a desert king snake. Well, maybe I was thinking Texas Rat, and typing faster than my brain. If you buy that, I have this bridge you might like.
Just thought about this some what relayed to the post it's about a turtle any way lol
it popped upon on youtube a couple weeks back when i was looking at old cartoons from when most of us were kids
"Tooter turtle" always wanting to be something different
He would go see mr wizard who would grant his desire then just a short time later
Tooter would be in trouble calling help Mr wizard help
Mr wizard would say some spell with "time for this tooter to come home "
To end the adventure and save tooter
I had forgot about the cartoon other than the help Mr wizard part and I could not remember where I picked that up at
Like a lot of old such shows it had a hiden story line of be happy with what you are and be careful of what you wish for
I just pulled a turtle rescue. Dangerous. I was driving on US 25/70 near Marshall NC. Fairly busy US highway, speed limit 45. There in my lane was a box turtle, he was 3 feet onto the road and hauling a*s, for a turtle, towards the left to cross the road.
Dangerous! No shoulder. I stopped and hit the flashers and carried him across the road. In those 25 seconds five cars passed me from the other direction, and three cars had stopped behind me.
This falls into the "More guts than brains" category. However, had I not carried the little mite across the road, without doubt he would have been killed. I'm glad I didn't cause a car wreck.
I one stopped on I-40 to move a box turtle off the road, only to watch a semi swerve to the edge of the lane to flatten it. Good thing the Colt was in my pick u🤬
I stop and move turtles off the road when possible.... The little boogers seem to get tired and stop in the worse places ! The couple of snappers I have moved were NOT grateful for the help....🐢
They're always on our driveway.
Had a E-5 squad leader at Ft. Leonard Wood that had a pet box turtle. He drilled two small holes on each side of his shell, in back. Then he attached a half moon stainless steel wire. He would snap on a small leash and walk his turtle up to the mini PX about a block away from the barracks. We'd be sitting out front the barracks, ( old wooden 2 story WWII barracks) drinking beer and the new guy would always ask where Sgt. went. We'd tell him he went to walk his pet up to the mini PX. They'd reply yeah but that's just a block away and he's been gone X amount of time. " yeah, we know, but you haven't seen his pet". When he finally got back we'd all laugh at the look on the new guys face. Fun times.
I rescued this guy off the shoulder of US 25/70 yesterday. His chances of crossing the road were slim, and none.
This guy was on my driveway yesterday. Daisy doesn't pay much attention to turtles; she finds them boring.
This guy was out in the French Broad River this morning taking a sunbath. Nikon with 300 mm lens.
He was about 15 inches long, 300 feet out in the river.
Saw quite a few turtles last week in Maui
What kind of turtles do they have in Hawaii? Are they all sea turtles or are there land tortises?