RED-EARED SLIDER: Sociability

Unique among North American turtles, Red-Eared Slider has red patches by his ears, which gives Him a distinctive look. Preferring a quiet pond with a muddy bottom, Red-Eared Slider spends hours basking on a log with his Friends. They climb on top of each other in stacks of three or four. When one of Them senses trouble, They all slide into the water with a graceful plop. Red-Eared Slider’s name comes from his ability to quickly retreat by sliding off his log. Although He has poor hearing, Red-Eared Slider is sensitive to vibrations, and knows when someone is sneaking up on Him and his Friends.

Red-Eared Slider dislikes wandering far from his home. He sleeps at night resting on the bottom of his pond or floating on the surface. During the winter, He hibernates in the mud of his pond. The only time, Red-Eared Slider leaves his pond is to find a mate.

Because of his extroverted personality and hardy nature, Red-Eared Slider has been exploited heavily for the pet trade. Since many people could not care for Him, they released Him to the wild, wherever they lived. Originally from midwestern United States, Red-Eared Slider now can be found in Bahrain, France, Guam, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K.

Most people prefer to see Red-Eared Slider at his pond, home in North America. Watching a stack of Sliders sunning Themselves on a warm spring day is a joy to see. Hearing Them go ‘plop, plop, plop’ in the water is a musical sound. A pond without Red-Eared Slider is no pond at all, only a small body of water.

Many Turtles prefer being solitary, but not Red-Eared Slider. He delights in the company of his Friends. He suns Himself on a log with a few of his Friends. Red-Eared Slider teaches how to be sociable.
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Female Red-Eared Sliders are larger than males, while the males have long claws to stroke the female’s face during courtship.

Conservation Note: Because people have released Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) into the wild in France, it is now illegal to sell or import them in that country. Red-Eared Sliders are also a problem in the U.K. since they compete with the native species.

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN Second Chances

Photo by Willem M. Roosenburg, Ph.D., Ohio University.

Diamondback Terrapin gets His name from the diamond-shaped patterns on his carapace (upper shell). This freshwater Turtle lives in brackish water along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

Unlike Marine Turtle, Diamondback Terrapin cannot drink seawater because his body cannot excrete salt. However if the Turtle stays only in fresh water, He will develop a skin fungus.

Diamondback Terrapin spends most of the day in the water, floating on his back (carapace down). The Turtle keeps his body steady with his powerful hind legs. At night, the Terrapin buries Himself in the mud for warmth.

Relentlessly hunted for His meat, Diamondback Terrapin was brought to near extinction in the early 20th Century. What saved the Turtle was the American Prohibition on alcohol during the 1920s, because alcohol is needed in cooking the turtle meat. At the same time, U.S. federal and state laws were passed to save the Turtle. Today, Diamondback Terrapin has recovered in numbers, although He will never be as numerous, as He once was.

Diamondback Terrapin teaches about having a second chance. Once you get another chance, take it and do all that you can with it. With His second chance, Diamondback Terrapin came back from near-extinction.

Diamondback Turtle’s Wisdom includes:

Sociability

Wariness

Gentleness

Mild-Manneredness

Living “Betwixt and Between”

Not Giving Up

 

For more information on this amazing turtle: Maryland State Reptile

FRESHWATER AND SEMI-AQUATIC TURTLES: Hidden Surprises in Common Things

 EMYDIDAE SUB-FAMILY: FRESHWATER AND SEMI-AQUATIC TURTLES

The most successful of all Turtle Sub-Families are Emydids. This Sub-Family is split into two groups – Emydinae that includes pond turtles, sliders, map turtles, and terrapins, and Batagurinae that includes leaf, box, and wood turtles. Although Emydids live on all the continents except Australia and Antarctica, most of Them can be found in the Northern Hemisphere.

Emydids are a group of homogeneous Turtles with moderately flattened shells. The plastrons (bottom half) of their shells are large and sometimes hinged. They can close their shells completely. However their main characteristic is their short necks. In addition, Emydids are surprisingly hardy and long-lived, with an average lifespan of forty years.

Largely freshwater and semi-terrestrial turtles, Emydids usually spend their time between land and water. They prefer living near marshes, rivers, and lakes. Although Emydids are considered to be water turtles, Box Turtle, who lives mainly on land, is included in their number.

One thing that makes Emydids extraordinary is how well They thrive in spite of having so many enemies. Their nests are raided by various Mammals. Snakes and Shore Birds eat Juvenile Emydids. Alligators and people eat the Adults. Somehow Emydids survived through it all, and still remain prolific throughout the world. They are so prevalent that when people think “turtle”, they usually picture a typical Emydid.

Most Emydids have a subtle characteristic that identifies Them. Red-Eared Sliders have red patches by each ear. Diamondback Terrapins have a diamond pattern on their shells. Spotted Turtles have spots on their shells. Emydids also have distinctive personalities. Wood Turtles are extroverted while mild-mannered Spotted Turtles are shy.

The ordinariness of Emydids hides many surprises. Box Turtles usually live longer than a century. Map Turtles have intricate patterns of yellow on their shells that resemble maps. Look carefully at ordinary things and you will find hidden surprises.

Take time to read what individual Emydid teachers have to teach.

MATAMATA: Stealth and Craftiness

The most unusual Turtle in the world is Matamata, who lives in the Amazon and Orinoco River Systems of South America. Instead of looking like a typical Turtle, He resembles a pile of debris. When a Fish nibbles on the fibrous parts of Matamata’s head, He springs into action. Expanding his huge mouth, He vacuums up the unfortunate Fish. Expelling the excess water, Matamata then swallows Fish whole.

Having a sedentary but predatory way of life on muddy river bottoms is reflected in his unusual features. Matamata has a snorkel for a nose and leaf-like skin flaps covering his head and neck. His powerful back supports his neck to enable Him to vacuum up his prey. (Matamata belongs to the Side- Necked Turtle Family (Pleurodira).) With his sixth sense, He detects water vibrations. Living at the bottom of dark waterways, Matamata never basks in the sun like other Turtles.

In their various languages, the Amazon Indians refer to Matamata as “I Kill”. Blending with his surroundings, Matamata waits for an unsuspecting Fish to swim by. He remains still as Fish snacks on his head. Suddenly without notice, He will suck the surprised Fish up into his mouth. In other times, Matamata will herd Fish into a pen. A poor swimmer, He walks along the bottom of the muddy water herding the Fish. When He finally corners the Fish, Matamata vacuums Them up.

Matamata uses stealth and cunning to catch Fish. Looking like a pile of leaves, He deceives a Fish into thinking He is a tasty snack. Matamata quietly waits for the unwary Fish to start nibbling. Springing to life, He sucks the stunned Fish into his mouth. Learn how to be crafty from Matamata.

COMMON SNAKE-NECKED TURTLE! LONG-NECKED TURTLE: Being Flexible

Common Snake-Necked Turtle is another “unique” animal from Australia (“Down Under”). Known in Australia as “Long-Necked Turtle”, She can extend her head and neck longer than the length of her shell. Resting at the bottom of a pond, Common Snake-Necked Turtle stretches her long neck and pokes her head above the water’s surface. She searches for a meal this way.

Exclusively a meat eater, Common Snake-Necked Turtle hunts in slow-moving water. During the day, She actively hunts for Frogs and Crayfish (known in Australia as Yabbies). Set unusually far forward, her eyes give Her accurate vision for hunting. Spying a fat Frog, Common Snake-Necked Turtle swims up to Him. While drawing her long neck back into an S-shape, She springs forward. Halting alongside Frog, She opens her mouth wide causing water and Frog to flow inside.

Australians also call Common Snake-Necked Turtle “Stinker”. When caught, She sprays stink fluid as far as three feet (one meter) at her captor. Ever resourceful, Common Snake-Naked Turtle uses her “stink” to defend Herself.

When Common Snake-Necked Turtle decides to move, She will ramble with her Friends over dry land looking for water. When She sights a pond, She heads straight for it. Not fussy, Common Snake-Necked Turtle will live in new man-made ponds.

Common Snake-Necked Turtle teaches flexibility. Not only does She have a flexible body, she also has a flexible life. She rambles from pond to pond. She will even defend Herself by spraying stink (uncommon for a Turtle). Learn how to be flexible with your body and your life from Common Snake-Necked Turtle.

SIDE-NECKED TURTLE FAMILY: Thinking Unconventionally

Present-day Turtles are divided into two groups: Hidden-Necked Turtles (Cryptodira to which most Turtles belong) and Side-Necked Turtles (Pleurodria). Many people are not familiar with Side-Necked Turtles since They live in the Southern Hemisphere. The Side-Necked Turtle Family is further divided into two groups–River Turtles of South America and Australia-New Guinea and Mud Turtles of Africa. Members of Side-Necked Turtle Family are either aquatic or semi-aquatic.

Their name “Side-Necked” comes from the way that these Turtles retract their necks. Side-Necked Turtles fold their heads in sideways so that their nose points either to the left or to the right. Their necks lie sideways in their shells in a groove between their carapaces and plastrons (upper and lower shells). When threatened, Side-Necked Turtles can only protect Themselves by pushing their heads further into their shoulders, thus leaving one side of the neck and head exposed.

Side-Necked Turtles developed their method of neck retraction at the same time as Hidden-Necked Turtles did. The two groups of Turtles came up with different solutions to the problem of protecting Themselves. Hidden-Necked Turtles can withdraw their necks completely into their shells. Although Side-Necked Turtles’ solution is more conservative than the Hidden-Necked Turtles’, They are thriving on their continents. Moreover, Side-Necked Turtles are now known for their distinctiveness.

Side-Necked Turtles teach how to think unconventionally. They show that you can come up with different solutions for the same problem. Just remember to expand your imagination to include the cons of a solution as well as the pros.