10 Must-Know Facts for World Turtle Day
“World Turtle Day, May 23rd, is an annual occasion that the American Tortoise Rescue began 17 years ago to honor & promote turtle & tortoise conservation around the world... the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has protected habitat for 8 at-risk turtle species...
1. Turtle shells have nerves & a blood supply, making them an active part of turtles’ bodies.
2. The eastern snapping turtle, Canada’s largest freshwater turtle, stays submerged for so long that algae grows on its shell.
3. When threatened, the eastern musk turtle, a.k.a. “stinkpot,” releases a skunk-like odor.
4. Leatherback turtles, the largest turtle species in the world, can weigh up to 680 kg.
5. A turtle’s shell is an altered ribcage that’s part of its vertebral column & consists of 50 different plate-covered bones.
6. When female sea turtles are ready to lay their eggs, they travel all the way back to the same beach where they were born.
7. Turtles inhabit all continents except Antarctica.
8. Nest temperature affects which sex sea turtles are born as, with temperatures above 29C resulting in more female offspring.
9. The oldest discovered turtle fossil dates from around 220 million years ago.
10. The longest-lived turtle died at age 188.”
Adam Hunter (Nature Conservancy of Canada’s blog, Land Lines)
May 22/2017
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