Turtles are tremendously diverse creatures. There are turtles that live mostly on land, turtles that live in freshwater, and turtles that live in the sea. There are turtles that can fit in the palm of your hand, and turtles that weigh several hundred pounds.
Common pet turtles can live up to thirty years, which means you had better be really ready for a long-term relationship and commitment to a turtle before you buy one! Typically pet turtles enjoy a habitat inside an aquarium tank, partially filled with water, with lots of rocks and logs for "basking" beneath a warm reptile lamp.
Taking care of a pet turtle is not too difficult, but it's not too easy, either. Turtles require a clean environment and regular food, occasionally even live food like feeder fish. Sometimes, pet turtles get sick, and sometimes they carry diseases dangerous to humans. This is the reason you can't buy them in New Jersey. A pet turtle gave a child salmonella, a very unpleasant sickness, and New Jersey passed a law banning turtle sales after that.
One of the coolest things about turtles is that they really are like living dinosaurs. There is evidence that turtles existed as far back as the Triassic age, 200 million years ago! It is this ancient history, combined with the long life span of turtles, that often prompts people to portray turtles as being careful, calculated, and very wise.
Another cool fact about turtles is that some species can change genders depending on the temperature of their environment! When turtle eggs are incubating, if the temperature is above 29 degrees female turtles will be produced, and if it's below 29 degrees male turtles will be produced.
Did you know...
- Turtles have no teeth?
- Prehistoric turtles may have weighed as much as 5,000 pounds?
- Only one out of a thousand baby sea turtles survives after hatching?
- Sea turtles absorb a lot of salt from the sea water in which they live. They excrete excess salt from their eyes, so it often looks as though they're crying.
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