Still Waiting

I know something is going on out there...

and I'm missing out!

Party Animal

This little guy knows how to rock a camp site, especially with the ladies:

My Cousin: The Mata Mata Turtle

First thought: what the heck is that? I'd say one of the more mysterious and bizarre species.

The Mata Mata Turtle is a fresh water turtle found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. These are large, sedentary, brown or black turtles that sport a large triangular flattened head characterized with many tubercles and flaps of skin and a "horn" on its long and tubular snout. There are three barbels on the chin and four additional barbels at the upper jaw, which is neither hooked nor notched. These features may be meant to allow the turtle to resemble a piece of bark, with the head resembling fallen leaves, camouflaging it from possible predators.

LOOK at this creature!!!

This sneaky guy blends into surrounding vegetation until its prey comes close. The mata mata thrusts out its head and opens its large mouth as wide as possible, creating a low-pressure vacuum that sucks the prey into its mouth, known as suction feeding. The mata mata snaps its mouth shut, the water is slowly expelled, and the fish is swallowed whole; the mata mata cannot chew due to the way its mouth is constructed. The mata mata is carnivorous, feeding exclusively upon aquatic invertebrates and fish.

This species grow quite large, is slow-moving and prefers shallow water. They have wide mouths that occupy the entire front of the face, often appear smiling, and extraordinarily long necks. Since they can grow to 18 inches long, their size doubles when the neck is extended.

As with all aquatic turtles, water quality is one of the keys to keeping this species successfully in captivity.

Slowsky Fun Time

Dreaming of Turtle Island

Mama's looking for a little vacation and I'd like to recommend none other than Turtle Island, Fiji, the location for the movie Blue Lagoon.

Click to learn more about Turtle Island. Then plan your trip (and take mama with you)!

Butterfly Season!

I love them so much. And they love me.

It's Gangnam Style!

Ugly Dog, Handsome Turtle

Coffee Anyone?

It would be nice to have a fine cup of java waiting for me in the morning... but no...

Back in the Saddle

Spring must be around the corner. I suddenly found myself taking that long hike up the rock to the dock, looking for a view... and some warmth from the light.

What a Pisser!

From DiscoveryMagazine.com:

You Like Turtles? Urine for a Surprise

Learning from tricky turtles may help humans with kidney failure.

By Brendan Borrell|Thursday, March 07, 2013

 

Yuen K. Ip knew something funky was going on inside the mouths of Chinese soft-shelled turtles. When they were on dry land, they dunked their heads in puddles and gargled. “Why would they do that?” asks Ip, a physiologist at the National University of Singapore. It turns out they were simply peeing. From their mouths.

Mouth-peeing is more than just a neat trick—it’s essential for maintaining these turtles’ deviant lifestyles. Unlike other freshwater turtles, these guys venture into brackish water for days at a time. In this challenging environment, their bodies break down protein and produce toxic ammonia, packaging it as urea.

The load is so great that they cannot just drink water and flush it out because their kidneys would be overwhelmed by the salts. Instead, these turtles have molecular pumps in their mouths that help move the urea out.

Ip thinks his research could help humans with kidney failure, either by creating a more efficient dialysis machine or through gene therapy to enable humans to mimic the turtle and eliminate urea via the mouth. It may just work. “What we are doing is learning from nature,” he says.

Nabbed!

March 2013 - Two smugglers were nabbed in Thailand as they tried to smuggle some of the rarest tortoises in the world.

CLICK HERE for the full story

Like Henry's friend Jim says: SNUGGLE, not SMUGGLE!