Interesting Turtle and Tortoise Facts

Thank you to the Animal Planet website www.animal.discovery.com.

Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

Some interesting facts about turtles and tortoises:

Turtles have been on the earth for more than 200 million years. They evolved before mammals, birds, crocodiles, snakes, and even lizards.

The earliest turtles had teeth and could not retract their heads, but other than this, modern turtles are very similar to their original ancestors.
Several species of turtles can live to be over a hundred years of age including the American Box Turtle.

One documented case of longevity involves an adult Indian Ocean Giant Tortoise that when captured as an adult was estimated to be fifty years old. It then lived another 152 years in captivity.

Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica

Turtles will live in almost any climate warm enough to allow them to complete their breeding cycle

While most turtles do not tolerate the cold well, the Blanding's turtle has been observed swimming under the ice in the Great Lakes region

Turtles range in size from the 4-inch Bog Turtle to the 1500-pound Leathery Turtle
North America contains a large variety of turtle species, but Europe contains only two species of turtle and three species of tortoise

The top domed part of a turtle's shell is called the carapace and the bottom underlying part is called the plastron

The shell of a turtle is made up of 60 different bones all connected together

The bony portion of the shell is covered with plates (scutes) that are derivatives of skin and offer additional strength and protection

Most land tortoises have high domed carapaces that offer protection from the snapping jaws of terrestrial predators. Aquatic turtles tend to have flatter more aerodynamically shaped shells. An exception to the dome-shaped tortoise shell is the Pancake Tortoise of East Africa that will wedge itself between narrow rocks when threatened and then inflates itself with air making extraction nearly impossible

Most turtle species have five toes on each limb with a few exceptions including the American Box Turtle of the carolina species that only has four toes, and in some cases, only three

Turtles have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell. Hearing and sense of touch are both good and even the shell contains nerve endings

Some aquatic turtles can absorb oxygen through the skin on their neck and cloacal areas allowing them to remain submerged underwater for extended periods of time and enabling them to hibernate underwater

Turtles are one of the oldest and most primitive groups of reptiles and have outlived many other species. One can only wonder if their unique shell is responsible for their success

The worst that can happen

The following picture is one of the worst things that can happen to a tortoise. The absolute worst being their shell having a puncture in their shell by an animal. Infections can set in and the shell does NOT grow back and has to be repaired with man-made products such as Teflon or fiberglass.
Now here is that picture of what is the second worse thing to happen. A tortoise upside down.
Their lungs are at the top of their shells so being upsidedown will suffocate them. While it is funny that they get into this perdicament, it does get scary when the animal cannot get flipped back over. While most of the time, she can get over Maizer had her leg caught in a canvas strap and would have caused problems to keep her that way. Needless to say after I took the picture I flipped her back over.

Climbing again!

Well, the Maizer has found a new place to climb. We have a box with a bunch of CDs that has a built in handle. She has recently discovered this and has taken to trying to climb up. A few times I heard her on the kitchen floor as she flipped herself and ended up on her back. I couldn't figure out how she was doing that, not realizing she found the new challenge. Finally I heard her knocking things over (again!) and found her doing this.
Yes, she is a strange bird.

Daddy love

My tortoise Daisy is absolutely in love with my husband Todd. She follows him around the apartment and when he is on the couch, she wants to be with him. Here is an example of that true love.

Past life regression or crazy tortoises?

Todd and I were out for most of the day yesterday and so the torties were left to their own devices for amusement yesterday. When we came home, I found the strangest thing...a tortie pyramid!!!! Yes I said it, a tortie pyramid! If you don't believe me here is the proof!



So here is a question to ponder.....were tortoises cheerleaders in a past life???

My own prison! HELP!

Well Ms. Maizer got herself into an interesting situation today...she climbed underneath my step stool and got stuck now she is walking around the kitchen with the stool on her. Silly tortoise....its a wonder she doesn't walk herself into worse situations.

Maizer is back and rockin'

Well after a couple of days of rest and hanging in the tank after eating a big meal, she is back and out and about.
Here she is taking inventory over her territory today.


At the moment she is climbing behind me enjoying the pillows and the couch.
I know she will be causing havoc today since she is full of energy from the days of relaxing!
Wish us luck!!!!

This is a tortie horde

As you can see in your address bar, my blog website is called tortiehorde.blogspot.com. You are probably wondering why it is called that. Below is the reason. When the heat lamp is on, they all cuddle together and create a horde of torties. Here they are.

Very Angry...not about Tortoises

This blog is about animals, tortoises specifically, but something has happened in my apartment complex that has me very upset so I must write about it.
About a week ago, a couple of doors down from my apartment, people got evicted. They had a very cute cat named Gus, who I hate to say was abused by the husband in particular. For example, one day while leaving to go out, poor Gus came flying out their front door!!! Never thought cats could fly! Okay enough joking.
As I said a week has passed and last night our window in the bedroom was open we were woken up about 3 in the morning by this loud meow! I look around startled and there was Gus sitting on the sill outside the window!!!!!! I wasn't sure it was him but I went outside and sure enough...it was poor Gus! It was so sad, he was left behind!!! Stupid people!
So now here is my angry rant of the day!!!! If you decide to get a pet and you can't take care of it, don't leave it to nature! Especially if it is a dog or cat who are so acclimated to the home environment they may not be able to survive outside!!!
Pets are not furniture that you can just throw away when you get sick of it! They have feelings and emotions just like we do. They miss us when we are gone. They love us when we need to be loved.
If you feel that you cannot take care of an animal as a pet or find that you cannot bring a beloved pet with you to a new home, be responsible and find it a good home!!!!
Okay, I am off my soapbox now! Enough said!

The facination with colors

Tortoises I have found love certain colors and if an object is one of those colors, they love to bite at it. Orange, green and yellow are their big favorites. Not just a certain breed loves to do this but all of them love to. I feel that this is because these colors usually correspond to the colors of food they eat.
Here is an example.

While I do not know for sure that this is the reason why they love to bite certain colors, it makes sense to me.

Pictures of Harriet and Steve

RIP guys....RIP

RIP Steve Irwin AKA The Crocodile Hunter

As I woke up this morning catching up on the news from overnight, I learned of the terrible sadness that has come over the wildlife conservation world. The beloved "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin has died. I had great respect for the man and his strong convictions to help all sorts of wildlife to survive in a changing human world. He was also the caretaker of the recently deceased Harriet, the oldest living animal (well not anymore!). She died at 175 years old. She was a Galopagos tortoise and a real sweetheart from the footage I have seen of her. Sadly Steve is now with his beloved Harriet.
We will miss you both.

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Killed
By Associated Press

CAIRNS, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous bard on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter." First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international celebrity.

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002's "The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course" and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!'"

Prime Minister John Howard, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honor President Bush when he visited in 2003, said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death."

"It's a huge loss to Australia," Howard told reporters. "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

Irwin, who made a trademark of hovering dangerously close to untethered crocodiles and leaping on their backs, spoke in rapid-fire bursts with a thick Australian accent and was almost never seen without his uniform of khaki shorts and shirt and heavy boots.

His ebullience was infectious and Australian officials sought him out for photo opportunities and to promote Australia internationally.

Irwin's public image was dented, however, in 2004 when he caused an uproar by holding his infant son in one arm while feeding large crocodiles inside a zoo pen. Irwin claimed at the time there was no danger to the child, and authorities declined to charge Irwin with violating safety regulations.

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken against him.

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 10 inches long, flexes if a ray is frightened. Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University of Queensland marine neuroscientist Shaun Collin.

Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart.

"It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said.

News of Irwin's death spread quickly, and tributes flowed from all quarters of society.

At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate.

Stainton said Irwin's American-born wife Terri, from Eugene, Ore., had been informed of his death, and had told their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.

The couple met when she went on vacation in Australia in 1991 and visited Irwin's Australia Zoo; they were married six months later. Sometimes referred to as the "Crocodile Huntress," she costarred on her husband's television show and in his 2002 movie.

Information on the Yellow Footed Tortoise

Thank you to www.honoluluzoo.org for the information.


Yellow Footed Tortoise

Scientific name: Geochelone (Chelonoidis) denticulat
Family: Testudinidae
Order: Testudines
Class: Reptila

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

The Yellow Footed Tortoise ranges in length from 41-76 cm. The closest related species to Geochelone denticulata is G. carbonaria. These two species may have been a single species, or may have descended from G. hesterna. There is no way to distinguish between G. denticulata and G. carbonaria using just one characteristic. Their common names are Red and Yellow-footed tortoise, but that does not necessarily mean that that is the color of the animal. Their colors are very similar and both tortoises are often misidentified. The Yellow Footed Tortoises limbs, head, and tail come in colors like brown with orange markings and bright yellow. The skin or scales are black or brown with yellow markings or patches of yellow. Female tortoises tends to grow larger than their male counterparts, and the male tortoises tend to have a concave belly.

DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:

Yellow Footed Tortoises are found in South America. During recent times, humans have spread these tortoises throughout the world by trade. These tortoises like to build their nests in the dense rain forest, the tropical lowlands, or hidden in the growth of a thick forest.

BEHAVIOR:

These turtles make a sound like a baby cooing with a raspy voice. Tortoises also identify each other using body language. The male tortoise makes head movements toward other males, but the females do not make these head movements. Male tortoises also swing their heads back and forth in a continuous rhythm as a mating ritual. Mating occurs all year round for the Yellow Footed Tortoise. There is no parental care of the young and the baby tortoises will fend for themselves, starting by eating calcium rich vegetables.

DIET:
This South American tortoise eats many kinds of foliage. They are too slow to capture any fast animals. In the wild, their diet consist of grasses, fallen fruit, camion, plants, bones, mushrooms, excrement, and slow moving animals such as snails, worms, and others they are able to capture. In captivity, they are fed oranges, apples, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, kale, endive, collard greens, spinach, carrots, and alfalfa pellets. Each Yellow Footed Tortoise in the wild reaches the age of maturity at about 8-10 years. The fecundity of a female generally depends on the size, the bigger they are, the more eggs they can produce. On average, a female will create approximately 6-16 eggs per year, although some female individuals may not reproduce each year. The eggs have brittle shells and are elongated to spherical, approximately 3-6 cm in diameter. The egg size will increase with the body size of the turtle. The young are self-sufficient from birth. The Yellow Footed Tortoise can live for approximately 50-60 years. Geochelone denticulata is an endangered species. The major populations are located in South America, and they are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, also known as CITES (Appendix II).

Suggested Reading:
Alderton, David. Turtles and Tortoises of the World. New York: Facts on File Publications,1988.

Halliday, Dr. Tim, and Dr. Kraig Adler, eds. The Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1986.

Hagan, J.W. "What's the Difference: Differentiating Geochelone denticulata and Geochelone carbonaria Tortuga Gazette 1989. www.tortoise.org/archives/carbdent.html

Ward, B. Sedgwick County Zoo. 2 May 2001. www.scz.org/animals/t/satort.html

For the love of a door

Well Maizer is at it again. Normally we close the door to the bathroom so that she doesn't wedge herself underneath the toilet or get into any other trouble. Well yesterday for at least 2 hours she just stared at the bathroom door as if to will it open.
Boy she is a strange bird.

She's been a very busy girl today

Maizer has been a very busy girl today between playing with her plastic bags and pretending to be a mountain tortoise. Here she is doing her best at both.






As you can see....she is very active today...it always makes the day interesting.