I just love the slow walkers but fast swimmers
Torn between keeping them as pets and pushing for their freedom from pet shops, zoos and domestic areas? First thing to do: learn all you can about them. This lens will clear some things out!
What about them?
Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins are reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the crown group Chelonia), most of whose body is shielded by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs.Like other reptiles, turtles are ectothermic (or "cold-blooded"). Like other amniotes (reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and don't lay eggs underwater, though many species live in or around water. The largest turtles are aquatic.
Turtles and terrapins have been hunted all over the world for their shells, as pets, or for food.
Did You Know..
- Turtles are broken down into two groups, according to how they withdraw their neck and head into their shell (something the ancestral Proganochelys could not do): the Cryptodira, which can draw their neck in while contracting it under their spine; and the Pleurodira, which contract their neck to the side.
- Most turtles that spend most of their life on land have their eyes looking down at objects in front of them.
- Some aquatic turtles, such as snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles, have eyes closer to the top of the head. These species of turtles can hide from predators in shallow water where they lie entirely submerged except for their eyes and nostrils.
- Sea turtles possess glands near their eyes that produce salty tears that rid their body of excess salt taken in from the water they drink.
- Turtles have color vision with a wealth of cone subtypes with sensitivities ranging from the near Ultraviolet (UV A) to Red.
- Some land turtles have very poor pursuit movement abilities, which are normally reserved for predators that hunt quick moving prey, but carnivorous turtles are able to move their heads quickly to snap.
- Instead of teeth, the upper and lower jaws of the turtle are covered by horny ridges.
- The upper shell of the turtle is called the carapace. The lower shell that encases the belly is called the plastron.
- In some species, temperature determines whether an egg develops into a male or a female: a higher temperature causes a female, a lower temperature causes a male.
- Researchers have recently discovered a turtle's organs do not gradually break down or become less efficient over time, unlike most other animals.
Other great turtle sites:
Flickr Photos
aren't they simply adorable in photos!?
Bunny and hares, Shi...
Turtles
Bale of Turtles
sunseekers
followme
Turtles Eating Lettu...
Turtles Eating Lettu...
Turtle island
Red-eared Sliders
Red-eared Sliders
how you can help
Here are six ways of how you can help as concerned humans in the preservation and conservation of turtles in your community.
From http://octopus.gma.org/turtles/help.html
Read All About Them!
Here are some articles, about what else? Turtles!
A Sea Turtle's Struggle For SurvivalSea turtles truly are one of the most graceful and beautiful animals of the sea. However, they are one of the fastest declining endangered species. University Putra Malaysia Associate Professor Dr. Chan Eng Heng said since the sea turtle research unit was formed in 1993, barely ten Leatherbacks had been sighted, compared to 2000 Leatherbacks in the 1950's. In Sarawak (an area of Malaysia) only 400 green turtles were spotted compared to 4500 in the 1930's.
There are several reasons as to why these numbers are falling. Numbers suggest that around 55,000 turtles in the US were killed in prawn trawl nets, and 21,000 turtles died in Japanese tuna log lines during high sea operations. Another reason for the decline is the exploitation of turtle eggs. These turtles feed off of jellyfish, and boy do they love it! Because a plastic bag can look like a jellyfish, they sometimes eat plastic bags from human garbage thrown out at sea.
Some of these sea turtles experience what is called a "false crawl" due to outside lighting from coastal development. A false crawl is when sea turtles come ashore to nest but get disturbed and can't find a suitable site.
The Hawksbill turtle is being hunted for the beautiful shells. Jewelry is made from their shells, and leather is made from their hides. The Green turtle population is lowered by commercial exploitation of eggs and adults and beach disturbances. The Olive Ridley turtles have been affected by the commercial harvest of adults, incidental catch in shrimp trawls, and harvest of eggs from nest beaches. Loggerheads have experienced declination due to capture in trawls, loss of habitat due to coastal development, and local exploitation. Coastal development lights have disorientated nesting females and hatchlings. They may head in the wrong direction (inland) and end up in roadways resulting in death by a automobiles. The Leatherbacks experience numerous threats to their existence including: excessive harvesting of their eggs, capture for food, oil, and shark bait, incidental catch in shrimp trawls and squid nets, and habitat disturbances.
"Mankind destroys sea turtle habitats through anchoring, dredging, dynamiting and bottom trawling" - Dr. Chan Eng Heng
Here are some measures that have been taken to help reduce the decline of the sea turtle population in southeast Asia. The state of Sabah, through the Sabah parks Board of Trustees, has entered into a bilateral conservation and management agreement with the neighboring Philippines to establish a Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA) encompassing the islands where large numbers of turtles have been found to nest.
Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) is a device that can be installed on shrimping boats. They are a cheap proven technology that has been shown to reduce sea turtle mortality by more than 97%. These TED's are required by law on all US shrimping boats. Unfortunately some shrimp fishermen disable their TEDs because they believe the TEDs reduce their shrimp catch. This may be a contributing factor in the grim reality that there are still large numbers of dead sea turtles washing up on US shores.
All of the sea turtles species are protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International trade In Endangered species (CITES).
If you find an adult sea turtle or hatchling, leave it alone. Report the turtle if it is in a dangerous situation (i.e. in a roadway or parking lot) to the Sea Turtle Hotline. Report all sea turtles that are stranded, injured, are apparently unhealthy, or dead. If the turtle has not moved for over 30 minutes, report as well. The Sea Turtle Hotline: 1 (954) 328-0580, or Environmental Complaints and Emergency Response: 1 (954) 519-1499.
"The turtles have ecological values which we cannot ignore. They help keep the balance of the ecosystem as well as to cycle nutrients by transporting the substances from rich feeding grounds to poor nutrient nesting sites" - Dr. Chan Eng Heng.
Written by: Taryn - AllTurtles Webmaster
www.allturtles.com
Green Sea Turtles in the Wild - where they should be
#1 How You Can Help
Keep wild turtles in the wild. Don't collect pond turtles for pets. Observe and enjoy them in their natural habitat. <
Turtle Symbolism
Meanings in various cultures, eras, and areas of study
Turtle - Self contained, creative source, Earth, informed decisions, planning, adaptability.
In Dreams The turtle seen in a dream indicates an unusual improvement. This would be a positive omen. Turtles in a negative aspect means fear of facing responsibility or reality. However, a turtle can represent long life because turtles live a long time. They also have quiet strength.
Spirituality
In the far east, the turtles shell was a symbol of heaven and the square underside was a symbol of Earth. This meant that the turtle was an animal whose magic united heaven and Earth.
In the west, early Christians viewed turtles as a symbol of evil forces during war.
In the Hindu myth the tortoise Chukwa supports the world. The turtle also represents the creator and holder of the Earth and everything it contains. In the Balinese scripture -- Any person who consumes and supports the killing of turtles is not a good Hindu, and is doing a dishonor to himself, thus disconnecting himself from proper Balinese religious practices.
Cultures
Japanese The turtle is a symbol of good fortune and longevity. The turtle is an positive omen bringing 10,000 years of happiness. The Cosmic Mountain and the abode of the Jennin are supported by a tortoise.
Chinese The turtle carries the world on its back. This is a symbol of fertility, vitality, and great patience. The Chinese believed these animals foretold future events. They are the third animal of four that represents water and was thought to be a model of the world. Its upper shell curved like the heavens and its lower shell was flat (the way the Chinese at the time believed the Earth was). They read the future in the pattern on the tortoise shell.
The tortoise also supports the world. Its four feet being the four corners of the Earth. It is the Black Warrior, depicting strength and endurance. It was credited with a great life span and was therefore a symbol of longevity. As a warrior the tortoise joined the dragon on the banners of the imperial army. Both representing indestructibility as neither can destroy each other. The tortoise can not be crushed nor the dragon reached.
However, the term turtle is also used as a curse word, and the Taiwanese expression for gamblers "losing your shirt" translates as "knocking turtles". Apart from gamblers' fears that eating a flour turtle will turn their luck sour, turtles have many other bad connotations in modern Chinese society. In fact, when people curse each other these days, the first thing to come out is often "turtle egg" or " grandson of a turtle".
Even so, the image of the turtle as a spiritual beast has become deeply implanted in people's minds. One ancient text warns its readers not to act rashly when catching turtles and always to carry out the proper ceremony to worship them first. There are also many legends about how those who killed turtles eventually met with misfortune. Common Buddhist restraints against the killing of animals evolved into the Buddhist ceremony of releasing turtles.
Polynesian The turtle symbolized fertility and long life.
African The turtle originated ju ju and appears in fertility rites. It represents the feminine to the serpent's masculine power.
Greco As the feminine power of the waters, the turtle was an emblem of Aphrodite/Venus in Greco-Roman myth.
Native American The totem symbolizes the relation between the tribe and it's ancestors. Human and animal figures are sculpted on a trunk and offerings are made to these sacred totems.
"Great Turtle -- The wisest of all creatures in Iroquois mythology."
The Ojibwa, Saulteaux, Cree, and Iroquois view the turtle as a symbol of Mother Earth and referred to the continent of North America as Turtle Island. They viewed the hard outer shell, which protects a living being, as an analogy to their mother, the Earth, also a living entity.
Sioux and Taters believed that the world is a huge tortoise floating on the waters.
Aztecs turtles were a symbol of cowardice and boastfulness. Hard outwardly but soft inwardly.
Finally..
Turtles will often leave a pool or pond before a draught arrives. This is a warning of a change in climate.
Turtles remind us that the way to heaven is through the earth. In Mother Earth is all that we need. She will care for us, protect us, and nurture us, as long as we do the same for her. For that to happen, we must slow down and heighten our sensibilities. We must see the connection to all things. Just as the turtle cannot separate itself from its shell, neither can we separate ourselves from what we do to the earth.
Information from: All Turtles
ThothWeb
Princetonol
Turtle Stuff on Amazon
Cloud b Twilight Turtle - Constellation Night Light
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Tortoise And Hare Salt & Pepper Shakers
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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Dark Amber Turtle Accent Lamp 7213
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Tales From the Wild: Cara the Sea Turtle (National Geographic Kids)
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#2 How you can help
Don't pollute! Don't let plastic bags and balloons get into the water. Pick up garbage from beaches and decrease your use of plastic by using paper bags, paper plates instead of styrofoam! Recycle as much as you can.
See them in videos!
The Tortoises and The Turtles
Vidoe clips of this years batch of babies set to music by The Turtles
Runtime: 2:21
1186 views
9 Comments:
Reminder about turtles
Don't collect and keep turtles, as they need sunlight to keep shells hard, eat specialized food, and may carry the disease Salmonella.
#3 how you can help
Ban the balloon. Sea turtles and other marine animals sometimes eat plastic bags and balloons.Instead of having balloon releases to celebrate special events, organize a lady bug or dragonfly release. They are available in quantity from biological supply catalogs.
Turtles on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
CafePress Turtle Items
#4 how you can help
Help a turtle across the road. If you should see a turtle trying to cross a road, stop, and when it is safe for you to do so, carry the turtle to the side of the road in which it was headed. Don't carry a turtle by its tail. For a snapping turtle or other large turtle, push it across with a stick.
What Our Turtles are Facing
06 Feb 2002
Manila, Philippines - Four Chinese fishing vessels have been recently apprehended for poaching of sea turtles inside the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, in the Philippines.
Related links
* WWF-Philippines' website
* WWF's Asia Pacific Programme: ecoregions
397 Dead Sea Turtles Seized from Chinese Fishing Boat
14 May 2007
Poaching of endangered sea turtles is a practice that's all too common. This and other stories are published on the Turtle Foundation's News Page and elsewhere all too frequently.
When you consider that ALL seven species of sea turtles are in danger of extinction due to illegal poaching, bycatch, and threats to their nesting grounds - stories like these are even more sobering. None of these sea turtle species can sustain catches like these. The 397 dead turtles found on this boat were likely headed to China to be used for medicinal purposes - purposes that have no scientifically proven efficacy.
News similar to these can be seen all over the globe. Here are things you can do for action
- Know your local environment groups or organizations and be part of their projects concerning turtles and other endangered creatures.
- Blog about it. The World Wide Web is a very powerful tool in use in our modern world. Word about issues can be spread quickly and with far-reaching effects with it.
- Talk about it. Word of mouth is still very in. Talking about it with friends, colleagues, family, and acquaintances will help in its traditional but effective way.
Get the News from Google
Be aware of what's happening out there..here are some of the issues
- Turtle poaching raises Fisheries Division concerns
- by Aarati Jagdeo The Antigua and Barbuda Fisheries Division has reported that numerous reports of th...
- Man caught with dead turtle
- There have been a few instances of turtle poaching reported to DoE officials this year. In one case,...
Del.icio.us!
- GREATTURTLERACE.COM
- Red Ear Slider . Com
- SEATURTLE.ORG
- All but Ageless, Turtles Face Their Biggest Threat: Humans - New York Times
- YouTube - Zombie Kid Likes Turtles
- The Official TMNT Web Site!
- Apple - Trailers - TMNT - Large
- Turtles all the way down - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Austin's Turtle Page
- Valerie Haecky's (Mostly) Water Turtle Information Pages
#5 how you can help
Protect your town's open spaces. Explore the natural habitats in your community, learn about them, and tell others about them. Work with the town conservation commission or department of parks and recreation to promote the use and understanding of the parks, ponds, and wetlands in your town.
Go Green Today!
#6 how you can help
Learn and teach. The more you know about turtles, their homes, and their needs, the more you can teach those around you to value them.
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