Written By: Kim Doner
It’s always nice to have something to look forward to, and I’m tickled to inform you of an annual event on
May 23 that is a cause célèbre you may have missed until now. Never fear; this omission can be rectified as springtime 2021 unfolds, flowers bloom, the rivers run, and our earth warms back to life.
I’m talking about National Turtle Day.
Around this date, turtles have begun to emerge from hibernation although it’s not called “hibernation” as they don’t survive winter like grizzlies; the correct term is “brumation,” useful to remember for those who get picky—or write articles for TulsaPets.
I know little about turtles, but my brain is such that the most irrelevant questions stick there and cycle around until I can bear it no longer and must research. I began to wonder more about what turtles and tortoises do to contend with seasonal problems when I had one move in about eight years ago. I was thrilled when “Turtle” (I know, clever, right?) appeared the spring after she’d been spotted constantly roaming the previous summer.
As the backyard is a certified wildlife habitat, it was comforting to know she’d found plenty of food to survive. Being somewhat of a foodie myself, I began to put turtle goodies out for her and found she had a standing hour to trundle across the patio for a snack. After a few summer months, she even began to check the windows to summon her waitress (me).
It happened the next spring. And the next.
I had no idea turtles would do that.
Then Forest Trails Animal Clinic called; two turtles had shells badly damaged from car strikes, split between the carapace (top shell) and plastron (bottom shell). With some veterinarian skill, super glue and antibiotics, there was hope. I received a word of warning: those breaks would remain weak, probably for most of their lives.
I felt compelled to protect them until their shells repaired and worried about them thereafter. One problem with box turtles is they insist on living within a mile of where they’re born. They use earth’s magnetic fields to navigate a return to their original nest from wherever they are— since “home is where the hatch is” for these guys.
Both animals had been dropped off by good Samaritans but from where? Releasing them at the river, or in a field, would set these kids up for the same traffic threat that got them to me in the first place.
Luckily, they were properly released into a wildlife habitat with food, water and proper shelter, with no pesticides, no dogs and no interference in their natural functions. In short, they joined Turtle in the backyard to wander as they please.
The really cool part is these two have brumated and emerged every spring for some years. I was able to sex them by looking at their turtle behinds (males have longer, thicker, more prominent tails than females, with the cloaca set farther from the shell), then assessing their plastrons as, for males, it curves into their bodies, so they don’t slip off as easily when mating. Females may have a slightly extruding “belly” curve since their bodies need room for growing eggs.
Two females, one male.
The new female had a boot-shaped scar on the front of her shell, so she’s “Boots.” Boots quickly caught on to morning buffets, appearing at 10 a.m. (late sleeper) and disappearing when full. Box turtles are omnivores; their eyesight is about like ours, and they are often attracted to red food: tomatoes, watermelon, cherries (remove the pits, please).
Turtle beaks are strong, and if one dangles a finger in front of an alligator turtle, it could result in immediate amputation. I started reading up on what diet to leave turtles in the wild and found so much more than I expected about these unique critters. Just for fun, here’s a short list of facts for any other wildlife nerds out there:
1 All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. Think: the “o” in tortoise means “on land,” and the “u” in turtle means “underwater” (you’re welcome, fellow nerds).
2 Differences: tortoises have strong
elephantine back legs that help push
when they dig. Turtles have webbed, flippered-ish feet. Tortoises have rounded shells; turtles have flat shells (better for swimming). Tortoises will drown in a swimming pool—they can’t swim. Although they can last up to half an hour, they still need to breathe air. Turtles can get air from an unexpected source (keep
reading).
3 Tortoises (remember: these are still turtles, like all humans are primates, but not all primates are humans) slow down for the winter and dig in below the frost line as they will die if the surrounding temperature hits freezing and ice crystals form in their blood. They prepare by eating less as days become cooler and flush their systems with plenty of water. Turtles head down to the bottom of the pond, sharing oxygen with the fish if it freezes over via their “unexpected source” (stay with me here).
4 The largest turtle known is the Leatherback, which grows up to 7 feet long and
can weight more than a ton. The oldest documented living land animal is a 187-year-old Aldabra tortoise named Jonathan; he superseded the famous Harriet. Harriet the Turtle (from the Galapagos) died in 2006 at the age of 175. (For those who really like “The Twilight Zone” stories, Harriet was supposedly brought by Charles Darwin to the Australia Zoo in Queensland. The zoo’s future owners? The Irwins, who had a famous son named Steve. Both Steve and Harriet died in 2006.)
5 Although solitary by nature, a group
of turtles is called a “creep.” They smell
via an organ located in the roof of their mouths, so when you see them and they appear to swallow, they’re probably sniffing. When startled, they make a sudden hiss to expel air, giving them more internal room to pull their heads in and seal up.
6 Turtles feel through their shells, and some develop a love of rubbing, scratching and warm water sprayed by their
humans.
7 They can die if left on their backs too
long. There are a couple of lines of
thought on that: dehydration, especially if it’s summer, or perhaps from the weight of internal organs shifted wrong for too long.
8 Famous turtles include a foursome who
were in the same accident that created
the Marvel character, “Daredevil,” aka Matt Murdock. In the story, Matt was blinded by a canister of radioactive isotope splashed into his eyes while rescuing an old man from an accident. The same canister splashed into a fishbowl
carried by a nearby witness, where he kept baby turtles. These turtles grew to be Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael, living in the sewers of New York and mentored by a rat named Splinter.
So how did the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles survive in the New York sewers when icy winters hit? It gets COLD. Freezing!
I’m so glad you asked.
Remember the “unexpected source” of oxygen previously mentioned? You’ll now be the star of any tedious cocktail party you attend (or, at the worst, you’ll certainly cull the duds who strictly discuss politics). Simply break into any conversation with, “Did you know some turtles can breathe through their butts?” and see what happens.
Certain species of aquatic turtles have “cloacal bursae,” which are clumps of blood vessel-rich tissue, which allows oxygen to be absorbed. The cloaca is the all-in-one exit route beneath a turtle’s tail; much like a Swiss army knife, it’s for urination, defecation, egg-laying and (for some) breathing.
When spring has sprung, land-locked tortoises rouse and dig out to forage and replenish; underwater turtles may have spent months in a brackish pond, and all will want sunshine to warm up and get the cramps out of their spent bodies. Depending on regional temperatures, they emerge any time after March.
So, by May, our reptilian friends are probably ready to rejoice in another season before them. Huzzah for National Turtle Day!
