Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Wildlife Photo: (Turtle) Red-eared Slider and Teenage Mutant Ninja

The Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a fresh water turtle, originally from the south of the USA but, they may found around the globe today. This one, I shot in a pond in Okinawa, Japan.

Once somebody started calling them the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES they became a hot commodity. Parents around the world just had to buy them for their children because they didn't want to take the time to explain the facts of life. Turtles don't know Karate. They don't even know which aliens they're supposed to be fighting. They just let people take them out of the ponds in South Carolina, or somewhere like that, and throw them on airplanes to foreign countries.

Well, here are a few facts I discovered about these critters today:
1. They can live to be about 40 years old.
2. They may carry Salmonella.
3. They breed under water for about 45 minutes but, really only go at it for 10 minutes or so.
4. Flushing them down the toilet proved to be a problem in the UK.
5. Australia banned them: $100,000 fine or five years in jail is what one could cost you.

Red-eared Slider Turtles, listen to me: THE PEOPLE SELLING YOU ARE THE ALIENS !


RELATED POST: WHICH TURTLE IS THE DUDE ?

See the PHOTO OF THE DAY HERE

4 comments:

Gene said...

Good post,Mike. Ninja turtles was good TV for the Kiddos LOL didn't help the Red Eared Slider at all except now they cover the Globe .

Ryan said...

My favorite was Leanardo I think, was he the one with the numchucks?

RyukyuMike said...

Gene,
Hah, it wasn't the turtles who mutated. It was the teenagers and their parents!

RyukyuMike said...

Ryan,
Hey, next time the Queen drops in let her know they have a recipe over on Google for Chinese turtle soup.

It could solve the toilet problem, reduce the population of unwanted ninja turtles and that guy with the sausage-storage troubles could stay busy shelling them in the prison kitchen!