Not wondering any more are ya!
By the way, that is either a Yellowfoot or Redfoot Tortoise also known as a chick magnet. Live and learn.
All the best,
GB
Showing posts with label tortoises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tortoises. Show all posts
Monday, August 7, 2017
People Wonder Why I Like Tortoises & Turtles So Much
Not wondering any more are ya!
By the way, that is either a Yellowfoot or Redfoot Tortoise also known as a chick magnet. Live and learn.
All the best,
GB
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Heosemys depressa - Supposedly Spotted For The First Time...
...in the wild, or so says this article. Now while this gives me sort of a thrill, because I am into reptiles and amphibians and am a turtle/tortoise keeper, I am not necessarily writing about it here just because of the sighting. Rather, I am writing about it because of the ridiculous claim in the article about the sighting. You see, the article states:
"Known only by museum specimens and a few captive individuals, one of the world’s rarest turtle species — the Arakan forest turtle — has been observed for the first time in the wild."
Hmm, do you see anything wrong with that sentence. No not grammatically, rather with what it is claiming. It is trying to say that this species of turtle has never before been encountered in the wild by mankind until an intrepid team of naturalists found it recently. That is absolute bullshit (sorry I just hate it when reporters make ridiculous claims). You see in order for this turtle to have been discovered in the first place, well someone had to find it in the wild. In order for there to have been captive specimens, someone had to observe it in the wild and then catch at least one of them.
The article then goes onto say that a few specimens turned up in Chinese food markets in 1994. I wonder where does the author or the article think they were found. Does he think they came from an Arakan Forest Turtle farm? Is it possible that maybe they came from the wild and that it stands to reason whoever caught them observed them in the wild? Then the article says that before that they had last been seen in 1908 when one was collected by a British army officer. I wonder, did he collect it on sale at the turtle farm, or did he 'collect' it in the wild?
Besides the sort of silly sounding statement that none have ever before been observed in the wild, it seems they may have the wrong picture to go with the article. When I checked on the Internet the pictures I found looked more like this one (click on the pic once at that link for a slide show) than the ones pictured in the article. Now then, they could be youngsters that look different than adults, or they could be a subspecies that has a darker color.
I don't know about you but poor reporting like that kind of bugs me. That is especially true when talking about more important things in my life than the Arakan Forest Turtle. No it is not that I consider these turtles unimportant, just that reporters screw up often on things that are of more importance - you know like so called Global Warming (now amazingly referred to as climate change). Of course, the AP had an even more ridiculous claim in an article about these very same turtles and all you have to do is read the headline to see what I mean: Discovery of Extinct Species: Arakan Forest Turtle. I mean it would be pretty hard to discover a living example of an extinct species - would it not? I give them credit though as they immediately explain in the first sentence of the article that the species was "...believed extinct...".
As for the turtles themselves, well I am always interested in such things. Turtles have always fascinated me, maybe because my first pet was a Red Eared Slider. My uncle took me to a pet shop on Broadway in Brooklyn, NY to buy that little guy many years ago. Sadly his future probably was not as rosy as that of the Arakan Forest Turtles in question, he did not live all that long - just a couple of years. Then again, having that little turtle created a lifelong interest for me as to collecting, keeping and breeding reptiles and amphibians. They get only top notch care from me, maybe even better care than is given to some of the handful of Arakan Forest Turtles in captivity. When it comes to hard to breed animals, especially reptiles and amphibians, many breakthroughs are made by private keepers as opposed to zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. My bet is that if the zookeepers would be humble enough to seek the advice of some advanced/expert (not me mind you) private turtle breeders they might improve their success rate with this species markedly. To date very few have been propagated in captivity.
All the best,
Glenn B
"Known only by museum specimens and a few captive individuals, one of the world’s rarest turtle species — the Arakan forest turtle — has been observed for the first time in the wild."
Hmm, do you see anything wrong with that sentence. No not grammatically, rather with what it is claiming. It is trying to say that this species of turtle has never before been encountered in the wild by mankind until an intrepid team of naturalists found it recently. That is absolute bullshit (sorry I just hate it when reporters make ridiculous claims). You see in order for this turtle to have been discovered in the first place, well someone had to find it in the wild. In order for there to have been captive specimens, someone had to observe it in the wild and then catch at least one of them.
The article then goes onto say that a few specimens turned up in Chinese food markets in 1994. I wonder where does the author or the article think they were found. Does he think they came from an Arakan Forest Turtle farm? Is it possible that maybe they came from the wild and that it stands to reason whoever caught them observed them in the wild? Then the article says that before that they had last been seen in 1908 when one was collected by a British army officer. I wonder, did he collect it on sale at the turtle farm, or did he 'collect' it in the wild?
Besides the sort of silly sounding statement that none have ever before been observed in the wild, it seems they may have the wrong picture to go with the article. When I checked on the Internet the pictures I found looked more like this one (click on the pic once at that link for a slide show) than the ones pictured in the article. Now then, they could be youngsters that look different than adults, or they could be a subspecies that has a darker color.
I don't know about you but poor reporting like that kind of bugs me. That is especially true when talking about more important things in my life than the Arakan Forest Turtle. No it is not that I consider these turtles unimportant, just that reporters screw up often on things that are of more importance - you know like so called Global Warming (now amazingly referred to as climate change). Of course, the AP had an even more ridiculous claim in an article about these very same turtles and all you have to do is read the headline to see what I mean: Discovery of Extinct Species: Arakan Forest Turtle. I mean it would be pretty hard to discover a living example of an extinct species - would it not? I give them credit though as they immediately explain in the first sentence of the article that the species was "...believed extinct...".
As for the turtles themselves, well I am always interested in such things. Turtles have always fascinated me, maybe because my first pet was a Red Eared Slider. My uncle took me to a pet shop on Broadway in Brooklyn, NY to buy that little guy many years ago. Sadly his future probably was not as rosy as that of the Arakan Forest Turtles in question, he did not live all that long - just a couple of years. Then again, having that little turtle created a lifelong interest for me as to collecting, keeping and breeding reptiles and amphibians. They get only top notch care from me, maybe even better care than is given to some of the handful of Arakan Forest Turtles in captivity. When it comes to hard to breed animals, especially reptiles and amphibians, many breakthroughs are made by private keepers as opposed to zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. My bet is that if the zookeepers would be humble enough to seek the advice of some advanced/expert (not me mind you) private turtle breeders they might improve their success rate with this species markedly. To date very few have been propagated in captivity.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Red foot Tortoises
They arrived at my house yesterday morning. The 4 of them came all the way from Brooksville, Florida so you can understand why their feet are red. I mean, walking all that way...These guys, Red Foot Tortoises (Geochelone carbonaria) are natives of southern Central America, and mid to northern South America; although I must point out that the 4 that I just got are all captive bred. Right now they are pretty small, but they promise to grow up a bit, that would be to about 14 inches in length measured from end of carapace to end of carapace (the upper shell) in a straight uncurved line. Of course that means if you want to keep even one of them as an adult, you need to give it space as they are active creatures. A 4'x6' enclosure would be a decent sized one for an adult; free range of a backyard in the warmer months would be even better. Since they come from the tropics, you can bet they like it on the warm side. Temps in the high 70s to mid 80s are appropriate for them, with a basking spot of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit; and of course the require UVA and UVB light (as found in natural sunlight) so that they can metabolize calcium and other vitamins. They also like it on the humid to wet side, and in nature are often most active after a rain. Babies require a water bowl with fresh water in which they can bathe, and from which they can drink, on a daily basis; and fresh water for adults is also best offered on a daily basis.
Speaking of vitamins, these guys get most of theirs from a fairly varied diet as far as tortoises go. They will, on a daily basis eat leafy greens, fruit, veggies; and on a weekly basis should be given some animal protein. Things like earthworms are relished, but other sources of animal protein such as carrion are taken in the wild. Some believe that in captivity a good idea is to supplement any diet for them with commercial tortoise chows such as that offered by Mazuri. All those vitamins keep these tortoises active all year long; what with the warm climate from which they come they do not brumate (hibernate). They are, as are most tortoises, a fairly long lived pet, and I can assure you that if you purchase one under a year old, it is quite likely that if you are as old as me, the tortoise will outlive you by a long shot. They can live until 50 years of age, and possibly longer with proper captive care.
I am pretty sure I will not be around for another 40 to 50 years, so if I decide to keep these guys for the long term I guess I'll have to get Brendan to like them as much as I already do. That way they will be assured a long and healthy life.
All the best,
Glenn B
References:
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
They Are Almost Here
Tracking number 9706-7882-xxxx
Ship date Sep 22, 2008
Estimated delivery Sep 23, 2008 by 10:30 AM
Department number
LIVE TURTLES
Destination Someplace, NY
Service type Priority Overnight - Adult Signature Required
Weight 1.0 lbs.
Status On FedEx vehicle for delivery
Date/Time Sep 23, 2008 8:46 AM
Activity On FedEx vehicle for delivery
Location xxxxx, NY
Details
8:41 AM At local FedEx facility xxxxx, NY
7:40 AM At dest sort facility JAMAICA, NY
4:34 AM Departed FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN
1:03 AM Arrived at FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN
Sep 22, 2008 6:50 PM Left FedEx origin facility BROOKSVILLE, FL
4:51 PM Picked up BROOKSVILLE, FL
3:57 PM Package data transmitted to FedEx
Ship date Sep 22, 2008
Estimated delivery Sep 23, 2008 by 10:30 AM
Department number
LIVE TURTLES
Destination Someplace, NY
Service type Priority Overnight - Adult Signature Required
Weight 1.0 lbs.
Status On FedEx vehicle for delivery
Date/Time Sep 23, 2008 8:46 AM
Activity On FedEx vehicle for delivery
Location xxxxx, NY
Details
8:41 AM At local FedEx facility xxxxx, NY
7:40 AM At dest sort facility JAMAICA, NY
4:34 AM Departed FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN
1:03 AM Arrived at FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN
Sep 22, 2008 6:50 PM Left FedEx origin facility BROOKSVILLE, FL
4:51 PM Picked up BROOKSVILLE, FL
3:57 PM Package data transmitted to FedEx
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