#turtle

#turtle

The Tour de Turtles MarathonThe Sea Turtle Conservancy stages an annual race they call the Tour de Turtles. No hares allowed! While the race is fun to keep up with, it's a valid scientific survey of sea turtle migration. Turtles are outfitted with satellite trackers that allow marine biologists to study their movements, speed, and destination. Their routes will be studied afterward to identify turtle hazards. Which turtle will travel the furthest over a period of three months? The race is divided into two divisions, one for leatherback turtles, which began on July 15, and another for hard back, or chelonian turtles. That one will begin on August first. One of the chelonian turtles in the running this year is named Tortie. Tortie is a juvenile who suffers from fibropapillomatosis, a disease that causes fibrous tumors to grow. Veterinarians removed multiple tumors from Tortie last December at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida. After months of care, Tortie appears to be healthy, and was released into the ocean last Friday. He's not really gone, however, as his satellite tracker is fully functional. The other chelonians are named Megan, Timmy, and Esther. Keep up with the progress of the nine leatherback competitors and the four chelonian turtles at the race website. -via Fark(Image credit: The Turtle Hospital) #turtle #turtlerace #seaturtle

Sea Turtle Dodges Shark Bites with Matrix-Like MovesA photographer recently captured this amazing footage off the coast of Australia. The sea turtle isn’t as fast as the shark, who can lunge in quickly. But he has a hard carapace and, more importantly, knows how to use it to maximum effect.When a shark moves in for the kill, the turtle rolls to place his carapace to where the shark will be when he arrives. At one point, he’s even able to position himself to bite back. It’s a cunning display of martial arts prowess that would impress fans of The Matrix.-via Born in Space#turtle #shark

Log Rolling with the TurtlesIt was a nice day to visit Lake Washington near Seattle for TikToker LAH. She saw a group of turtles that had hoisted themselves onto a log for some sunbathing. But this log was not tethered on either end- it was free floating. And that caused a problem when Gary decided to join them. This video contains NSFW language.

Missing Tortoise Found 30 Years LaterNathalye De Almeida tells how her family had a pet tortoise when her mother was a child, but one day in 1982, he was just gone. The eight-year-old loved that tortoise and never forgot Manuela. Nathalye heard tales of Manuela the whole time she was growing up. But no one knew where the tortoise had gone. Until 2013. After Nathalye's grandfather passed away, the family had to sort his possessions. They went up into the attic, where stuff had been stored away for years and years. They found Manuela in a speaker cabinet. What's more, the tortoise was alive! Nathalye's mother was brought to tears by the discovery. How did the tortoise survive in the attic so long? The family believes Manuela must have been eating termite larva. Almost ten years later, the tortoise is still with the family, and is healthy. Except now he is called Manuel, since they found out he is male. Read more on this story at The Dodo.(Image source: Joao Leomi Silva Nunes) #tortoise #turtle #missingpet