Ok, so turtles probably can't be classified as cute, but I think they're kinda cool, and interesting. Don't you?
Our resident turtles. The first turtle above, designated "two spots" because of the two white spots on her shell, has been around ever since I moved here in the summer of 2008.
Click on any photo to enlarge
The second turtle is a relative newcomer, and we've named him "red spot" due to the spot of red nail polish that hubby put on his back. He's much more colorful, so I'm guessing a male? I also wonder ... is it possible that red spot is the progeny of two spots?
Perhaps a herpetologist would know.
I do not profess to be a turtle expert.
Info Update: Check out this link for more information on our resident box turtles. It appears they are Ornate Box Turtles, as opposed to Eastern Box Turtles, and apparently I was right in guessing the first photo is a female and the second photo is a male. The male will have red or orange eyes. Now I just need to guess their age based on the growth lines around the scutes... go on, check out the link, it's a short (and interesting!) info piece!
Strange little prehistoric critters but very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love turtles.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Susan!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the turtles...we have turtles here on the farm too and now I know exactly what kind they are. Unfortunately Shep found one and ate it...YES ate it. Crunched it...sometimes I want to bop that dog! I found one after that incident and carried it into the pasture where Shep can't get in so easily...hopefully the turtle stayed in the longer grass or under the trees. I checked out the info you gave me and I'm going to go back and read more...thanks so much for sharing!!! I hope you got rain the other day..we only got a little sprinkle that made everything look terrible but nothing we can do about it so I'll just quit griping about it ;) Stay cool today.
Maura :)
I've seen a few of those ornate box turtles in my yard. I like the eye color of the males. I'm no turtle expert either, but I like turtles! I have red eared sliders (semi aquatic); the male has long front toenails, and is also smaller in size than the female.
ReplyDeleteHe's a country turtle. He has a piece of straw in his mouth :)
ReplyDeleteBut really, their shells are so pretty!
Interesting and fun! We used to bring turtles in and my mother would let us keep them in the unfinished basement by the washer and dryer and floor drain where we would put an aluminum pie tin of water and some lettuce. They lived for years down there. I STILL can't believe my mom let us do that! LOL
ReplyDelete