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| Monday, November 8, 2010 |
| TT - Turtle Facts |
Turtles, as opposed to tortoises, live in or around water. Some varieties only leave the water to lay eggs.
A turtle’s shell is made of bone, made of keratin, a substance rather like a human fingernail. The shell consists of sections. As the turtle grows, new layers of keratin are formed between the sections.
Turtle fossils have been found linking them to the Triassic Period, about 230 million years ago.
Turtle are present in the mythology of many civilizations. The Chinese, for instance, around 2500 B.C. favored a symbol of a snake entwined with a turtle to ward off evil spirits.
In ancient Japan, turtles were considered a symbol of happiness and good fortune.
In the year 456 B.C., the Greek playwright, Aeschylus was killed when a turtle was dropped on his head by an eagle. Generally, however, turtles are quiet, docile companions.
Turtles are cold-blooded. They need an external heat source. If they get too cool, they can’t digest their food and may hibernate.
Some types of turtles, such as the leatherback turtle can swim at speeds up to 23 miles per hour.
Turtles can be herbivores (vegetable eaters), carnivores (meat-eaters), or insectivores (insect eaters).
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posted by Nature Mad @ 8:09 AM  |
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| 14 Comments: |
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The Eagle, the Playwright, the turtle...amazing.
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I like turtles and have all kinds of them - such as carved ones, ones made of jade, etc. Turtles are cool!
Smiles,
Holly
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Always a wonderful history lesson here. I didn't know most of this. Have a great TT. :)
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And where would Terry Pratchet's Discworld be without the great world turtle to carry it on its back?
Great TT :-)
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As always, your TT is full of fascinating information.
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I am so worried about turtles -- sea turtles. I read books from the library to my kids often about how tough it is for turtles. They are amazing creatures.
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What fun info. Thanks for sharing. Happy TT.
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and they are so unshellfish :>
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I think turtles are so cute. I love visiting your blog . I always learn something.
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I love turtles. Some day we'd like to have one as a pet!
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I used to have a little turtle named Sammy. Great post on turtles!
Terrific Thursday Thirteen!
My TT is posted.
Have a wonderful day!
Happy TT'ing!
*^_^
(=':'=)
(")_ (")Š
Raggedy
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I like this list. I'll have to stop by here more often.
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Prehistoric turtles were BIG! Saw a skeleton at a museum once. Kind of freaked me out. My husband teases me now that while other people are afraid of sharks in the water I have a fear of giant turtles. -smile-
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The Eagle, the Playwright, the turtle...amazing.