Albino Turtle

 

 

     The Albino Slider is yet another opportunity for a Breeder to illustrate the ability to remove pigmentation from a species. They are generally considered yet another color morph or hybrid is selective breeding projects. Hatchlings display a bright yellow hue. This same hue will fade to creamy shade of yellow as they mature. They will also demonstrate the common bands present on the Red Ear Slider, but instead of the more common red bands, you will instead see an orange hue, as a result of the lack of pigmentation.

     Albinism is caused by a lack of melanin pigment and albino Snapping Turtles account for only one in every 30,000. In the wild, albino turtles rarely live to adulthood as their distinct coloring makes them stand out to predators as tasty snacks. 

This is Minty, a white green turtle at Reef HQ in Townsville Australia. Minty was not an albino but leucistic -- which means that it had colour pigment cells but did not have the enzymes to activate the colour. Turtles like this do not often survive in the wild as they are an obvious target for predators, so Minty was transferred to Reef HQ just after his birth.

 

 

 

Pancake Tortoise

Scientific Name: Malacochersus tornieri
Family: Testudinidae
Adult Size: 1½ lbs.
Range: Southern Kenya and northern Tanzania.
Habitat: Rocky areas and isolated rock outcrops (kopjes).



     This tortoise is not commonly available as wild caught imports because of its restricted range and the fact that it is protected in most of its natural range. Wild caught pancake tortoises have be notoriously difficult to acclimate to captivity. Despite this it is now more commonly being bred in captivity as time goes on although it is not excessively common because of the fact they only lay only one egg at a time and even then usually only once a year.

     The pancake tortoise is an odd and unique tortoise in that its carapace is flat and relatively soft. This allows it to squeeze into the rock crevices it inhabits. In captivity it is beneficial to provide flat rocks built up to allow the tortoise to fit between them. It has been found that this is almost a necessity for their survival.
     The pancake tortoise prefers lower temperatures in the range of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They are not known to be active baskers preferring to avoid the sun by hiding in the rocks.They will feed on dark leafy greens, fibrous fruits such as apples and pears in addition to berries. The pancake tortoise will also feed on insects and carrion. A dish of clean fresh water should be provided at all times.

 

 

turtles

     Turtles are reptiles of the order Chelonii or Testudines characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. "Turtle" may either refer to the order as a whole, or to particular Turtle which make up a form taxon that is not monophyletic.
     The order Chelonii or Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species. The earliest known turtles date from 220 million years ago, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards, snakes or crocodiles. Of the many species alive today, some are highly endangered.
     Like other reptiles, turtles are ectotherms—their internal temperature varies according to the ambient environment, commonly called cold-blooded. However, leatherback sea turtles have noticeably higher body temperature than surrounding water because of their high metabolic rate.
     Like other amniotes (reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. The largest turtles are aquatic.

2 headed turtles

    They say two heads are better than one, but that is really just a metaphor for brainstorming. In reality, having two heads would be a pain. You’d have to always share your ice cream, you’d constantly be bumping heads, and shirts would become your worst enemy. Polycephaly is the condition of having more than one head, and though it is a very rare occurrence, it is most common among reptiles, especially turtles. So, here are a bunch of pictures of two-headed turtles.

It must be hard for the two headed turtle to chose where to go.

left head: I wanna go back!

right head: no I want to go right!

 

 

One of them likes water and the other doesn't because they both have different brains. WEIRD. Dont worry, they never harm each other.

 

 

 

Aldabra Tortoise

 

Scientific Name: Geochelone gigantea or Dipsochelys elephantina
Family: Testudinidae
Adult Size: More than 500 lbs
Range: Aldabra Atoll with introduced populations on Reunion, Mauritius and Seychelles Islands among other granitic islands of the Indian Ocean.
Habitat: Groups of Aldabra tortoises inhabit mostly grasslands and areas of low shrubs but individuals will occupy almost any accessible habitat available. 
   

    The Aldabra tortoise is becoming more commonly available in the pet trade the world over, but it is still considered one of the more specialized tortoises. The Aldabra tortoise,because of its potential large size, requires a good deal of space and special consideration. Moving a tortoise that is more than 200 lbs is bad enough, but moving one that is more than 400 lbs can be problematic especially if the animal does not want to move or cannot. The Aldabra tortoise is only protected as far as trade so no special permits are required to keep and maintain these in captivity.


      Aldabra giant tortoises are adaptable and seem to be very cold tolerant, but they are still going to require supplemental heating to maintain a recommended temperature of 75 to 100 Fahrenheit. These tortoises, while being able to withstand low temperatures, do seem to prefer higher temperatures.
     The diet for the Aldabra tortoise in the wild consists mostly of weeds and grasses with occasional brows mixed in. In captivity they will eat almost anything. The suggested diet is a variety of dark leafy greens and grasses in addition a good mix of vegetables. It’s recommended to restrict the feeding of cabbages because of the propensity to develop thyroid problems among the giant tortoises due to a lack of dietary iodine. Providing as varied a diet as possible will usually alleviate any dietary deficiencies.Water should be provided at all times. Captive Aldabras consume great amounts of water if it is available.

Gingerbread man

  gingerbread man is a biscuit or cookie made of gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human, commonly male as the name suggests, although making other shapes, especially seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.) and characters, is quite common as well.Most gingerbread men share the same roughly humanoid shape, with stubby feet and no fingers. Many gingerbread men have a face, though whether the features are indentations within the face itself or other candies stuck on with icing or chocolate varies from recipe to recipe. Other decorations are common; hair, shirt cuffs, and shoes are sometimes applied, but by far the most popular decoration are shirt buttons, which are traditionally represented by gum drops, icing, or raisins.
   
       There is a traditional story about gingerbread man:

   Once upon a time, an old woman and her husband lived alone in a little old house. The couple had no children, and being lonely, the woman decided to make a boy of gingerbread. She carefully mixed the batter, rolled out the dough, and cut out out a very nice gingerbread man. She added sugar icing for his hair, mouth, and clothes, and she used candy chips for buttons and eyes. What a fine looking gingerbread man he was! The old woman put him in the oven to bake. After he was fully done, she slowly opened the oven door.  Up jumped the gingerbread man, and he ran out the door saying,

"Run, run, as fast as you can!

You can't catch me!

I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

    The old woman and the old man ran after him, but they could not catch him.And so the Gingerbread Man ran and ran. While he running, he met a cow. "Moo," said the cow. "You look very fine! Fine enough to eat!" And the cow started to chase to little man.But the Gingerbread Man ran faster, saying,

"I ran away from an old woman,
I ran away from an old man,
And I can run away from you!
I can!"
And he laughed,

"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me!
I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

     The cow ran after the Gingerbread Man, but she could not catch him. The Gingerbread Man kept running, and soon he met a horse. "Neigh," said the horse, "You look mighty tasty. I think that I would like to eat you." "But you can't!" said the Gingerbread Man.

"I ran away from an old woman,
I ran away from an old man,
I ran away from a cow,
And I can run away from you!
I can!"
And so he ran singing,

"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me!
I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

    The horse ran after the Gingerbread Man, but he could not catch him. The Gingerbread Man ran and ran, laughing and singing. While he ran, he met a chicken. "Cackle, cackle," said the chicken, "You look fine enough to peck for dinner. I'm going to eat you, Mr. Gingerbread Man."But the Gingerbread Man just laughed.

"I ran away from an old woman,
I ran away from an old man,
I ran away from a cow,
I ran away from a horse,
And I can run away from you!
I can!"
And so he ran singing,

"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me!
I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

    The chicken ran after the Gingerbread Man, but she could not catch him.The Gingerbread Man was proud that he could run so fast. "Nobody can catch me," he thought. So he kept on running until he met a fox.He just had to tell the fox how he ran faster than all the others."Mr. Fox," he said, "As tasty as I appear to be,I cannot let you catch and eat me.

I ran away from an old woman,
I ran away from an old man,
I ran away from a cow,
I ran away from a horse,
I ran away from a chicken,
And I can run away from you!
I can!"

      But Mr. Fox did not seem to care."Why would I want to bother you?" asked Mr. Fox. "You don't even look that tasty. No, young man, I don't want to eat you at all."The Gingerbread Man was so relieved. "Well, indeed, Mr. Fox," said the Gingerbread Man. "If you don't mind, I think I'll take a little rest here." And the Gingerbread Man stopped running and stood still.And right when he stood still. Snap! went Mr. Fox's jaws right into the Gingerbread Man until he was gone.

"He was very tasty after all," thought the fox.