Wood+Turtles

 =Wood Turtles- Sunny Side Up =

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People have an odd tendency to look at the good side of things. Global warming will kill almost every thing. Well, at least it will always be summer. Oil is running out and prices are going up. I here that its mainly happening in Europe, we'll be safe here for years to come. I just threw litter into the ocean. Well now theres one less shark to worry us. Oops, I just smashed one of the few wood turtle nests in existance. More eggs for breakfast!====== Thats how people look at it. They look at the //sunny side// of things. The wood turtle is already threatened, and it can only get worse. Nests are destroyed often and it can takes many years for young to mature. Actually, a study done said that 15 out of 17 nests are predated. These combined factors makes it so that there are no new adult turtles. Wood turtles are semi-aquatic, they live on land and in the water. After hatching from their eggs, they begin traveling. A wood turtle, after it chooses a place to live, stays there. The area they live in is most likely woods, with a river with no rocks running through it, and their birth place nearby. In their little area, they find food. They can eat a large variety of bugs, including slugs, plants, and sometimes even scavange. Though they have a shell, predators still get to them. Most wood turtles are missing limbs, tails, and even large parts of their shells. Around here, their main predator is raccoons, and humans. In the winter, they hibernate in the mud of a river. They take in their oxygen through their skin. A wood turtle reaches maturity once they're about 12-18 years old. They mate in early spring, and then females go to their nesting sight and lay their eggs. Usually, there are 7-12 eggs, buried about 5 inches into the ground. Females often dig more than one nest, but only lay in one. Eggs can be predated all through their time in the ground, but it mostly happens at 9 weeks. The oldest wood turtle, who was captive, was thought to be 50. Global warming could have a large effect on turtle eggs. The eggs' gender is determined by temperature, and so if the temp. rises, there may be more of one gender than another. The eggs, while in the nest, may dry out, causing the death of the babies. There may be more predators in the area because we kicked them out of their habitat. Habitat loss can also affect the turtles. If a nesting sight is destroyed, the turtle may have to go to a lesser one. The soil might not be the best, or the area could flood easily. If a road is put between a turtles home and the nest sight, they'd have to cross it, risking death. This is a real problem, so we should really do something about it. Don't litter, and yield for reptiles. media type="youtube" key="9GDUt6ddLXQ" height="344" width="425"

During science class, everyone tells these heroic tales of their parents rescuing a turtle in distress from a road and bringing it to their house to live out a wonderful life. Well, it doesn't happen like that. Most turtles know where they live. When moved from their home, they will, for a long time, try to find it again. Yes, the people who move turtles don't know what they're doing, but everyone knows not to mess with wild animals! If you see a turtle crossing the road, move it to the other side, but don't bring it home. If you find an injured turtle, do as follows: (taken from the NYCTRC website)

Keep turtle clean and dry. Put in a box with paper towels at the bottom. Do not let flies access the turtle. Do not clean the injuries. Contact local person with turtle expertise or NYCTRC at 845-252-3501.

For the numbers of rehabilitation people in your area, go to NYC Wildlife.org.

P.S.- This is about turtle eggs, and the page is called sunny side up. And then I'm talking about how people always look at the sunny side of things.

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