Tag Archives: turtle

The Luckiest Turtle

The turtle in question was already named Lucky… and then he earned it. Box turtle Lucky and his lady friend Lovey have a safe and happy life in their enclosed pen in a California backyard. But back in July, owner Sally Pyne found both turtles outside their pen. It seems a raccoon had shown up in the yard, attracted by food left for Pyne’s outside kitty. Lovey survived the encounter without harm, but Lucky was not quite so lucky. His front legs were gone. Lucky was rushed to the animal hospital, where he was patched up and given medication for … Continue reading →

Painted Turtles

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Painted turtles are a species of small turtles found across North America. They get their name from the colorful markings on their legs, tail, head and neck — the turtle’s skin is dark green or black with red and yellow stripes. If the colorful stripes aren’t enough to identify your painted turtle, look at the shell. The carapace is a smooth, flattened oval with red markings in some species. The plastron is usually yellow, sometimes tinged with red. Female painted turtles are generally larger than males — they can grow up to ten inches long. Males tend to have a … Continue reading →

Turtle on the Lam

You might not imagine a two hundred pound tortoise would be much of an escape artist. Houdini the turtle? Hard to picture… unless you know Willy. Willy is an eleven year old African tortoise who lives near Riverside, California. He joined the Larsen family as a birthday present. When Willy came home from the pet store, he was small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Nowadays, Willy is tipping the scales at two hundred pounds. He tips over tables and gives rides to young Larsen nieces and nephews. The family had no idea that Willy would get … Continue reading →

Sunday Travel Funnies: WHOAAA! A Two-Headed Turtle

After a brief hiatus the Sunday Travel Funnies are back! A ton of humorous travel tales have transpired since we’ve been away so let’s get right to it… WHOAAA! Look out for some laughs if you are traveling through Oak Lawn, Illinois. Apparently, for some motorists a big red stop sign is not enough to get them to apply the brakes. Which is why officials in the Chicago suburb recently installed additional signs beneath the traditional stop signs with messages that include “WHOAAA” or “Stop … and smell the roses.” Oak Lawn’s mayor says the idea is to get drivers … Continue reading →

Turtle Beach

Recently, I shared with you my 2-year-old daughter’s unusual fascination with all things scaly and skeletal. (Basically, she loves fish, turtles, dinosaurs, and various other reptiles.) With that in mind, I have been researching places that we can visit in order for her to see her favorite “friends” up close and personal. Next month, we will be traveling to Chicago to visit SUE at the Field Museum (she has already visited the Shedd Aquarium) and in a few months we are off to Hawaii where I will take her to Sea Life Park and “Turtle Beach.” What’s that you say, … Continue reading →