PopSugar

Over 10 Million Turtles Can Be Thankful For TAMAR

PetSugar — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:00:50 -0800

Founded in 1979, TAMAR has released around 10 million turtles into the sea since then. The National Marine Turtle Conservation Program in Brazil monitors over 600 miles of beaches with 20 stations covering the country. Rescuers seek nests by following turtle tracks in the sand. If the locations are deemed dangerous, they're moved to safer sites or open-air beach hatcheries to protect eggs from predators, tides, or other dangers to survive.

Because of close monitoring, more hatchlings survive and are watched to make sure they are set free to sea. As the last post in the Thankful Week, check out tiny turtles growing safely, swimming around and getting fed special medicine.

See more Hawksbill Turtle pictures when you read more.

View 10 Photos ›

7 New Candy Favorites For Halloween

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:50:42 -0700

As much as I love celebrating Halloween, some parts of it - like haunted houses, trick-or-treating, and even certain kinds of candy - remind me I'm not a kid anymore. That's why I've decided to introduce some alternative, homemade confections that are refined enough for even an adult gourmand such as myself. Curious to know what my new candy favorites are? Keep reading to find out.

View Slideshow ›

Galapagos Tortoises Are Messy Eaters!

PetSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:00:12 -0700

Umm, someone's in need of a bib! This Galapagos Tortoise just finished a snack in the new 'Giant of the Galapagos' exhibit at the London Zoo and seems like his haste made some waste all over his little turtle chin. Oh well, let's not point fingers at this 70-year-old (!) animal who weighs about 440 pounds - after all Dirk's joined by two female tortoises (Dolly, 16, and Dolores, 14) in hopes of starting up a breeding program at the zoo.

I guess slow and steady only counts for their actual motion, so see more pictures of sloppy eaters, Dirk, Dolores, and Dotty when you read more.

View 7 Photos ›

I've Fallen in Love . . . With a Turtle!

PetSugar — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:00:11 -0700

And his name is Ralph Wellington. I kid you not. I find some amazing things through StumbleUpon, and this little guy is no exception. I don't know if he is still around or what has been going on since his last blog post in 2006, but I'd love to find out, cause he makes me so happy. Seriously, I cannot resist this face!

Ralph is dubbed "The Happiest Turtle in the World" because of his perpetual smile. And it looks like he's a quick mover too, from the "action" video that's posted on his website. Check him out. You may just fall in love too!

The Scoop: Endangered Chinese Box Turtle Born in Bristol

PetSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:30:25 -0700

Even though the lil guy (or girl?) is just a half-ounce and one-and-a-half-inches long, it'll eventually grow to be closer to seven inches and two pounds. This Chinese box turtle was born at the Bristol Zoo on August 12, and can live to be over 50 years old!
As happy as I am to see this newborn, unfortunately these turtles are endangered in the wild because they've been hunted for their meat or for medicinal purposes for too many years – good thing this one's safe! I think it's so adoro (says the sucker for all baby animals) so check out more pictures below.

View 5 Photos ›

Source

Too Cute For Words!

PetSugar — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:00:54 -0700

It’s time to get clever! A picture is worth a thousand words, but those messages vary from person to person. PartySugar passed this piccy along to me, and I couldn't resist challenging you to title it! Suggest quotes or captions for the photo in your comments below, and I’ll do a roundup next week of some of my faves.

Source

Sand Saviors Help Baby Turtles Find Their Way!

PetSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:15:38 -0700

Each evening at dusk, you'll find people walking along Palm Beach Shores in Florida. It's not just because the ocean is pretty enough to warrant a daily visit, but they're looking for movement in sea turtle nests there. When volunteers locate an active nest, they lend helping hands to the leatherbacks and dig channels to create a clear pathway to water for the babies.

Umm, I'm definitely adding baby turtles to my growing list of cute animals . . . look at those lil feet scramble! Thanks runnergeek for alerting me to this cool video!

Creature Features: Turtles, Terrapins, or Tortoises?

PetSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:00:00 -0700

Now we already learned a little something about sea turtles, but what about all those other turtles in the world . . . found on every continent but Antarctica! One thing that always confuses me is the difference between a turtle, a terrapin, and a tortoise. Do you think you know? Find out in this quiz.

Source

Take the quiz

Happy World Turtle Day!

PetSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:15:28 -0700

Happy World Turtle Day! In honor of this occasion honoring the leathery backed creatures, I wanted to share a sweet story with you. It stars this female Yangtze soft-shell turtle recently relocated to a zoo in Suzhou, China. The 100-pound gal is the world's last-known female of this species and is now the Changsha Zoo's star attraction. Known as Rafetus swinhoei in scientific terms, the danger of extinction looms closer each day -she's 80 years old. That's not that old in turtle time considering some species can live up to 200, but still not looking good. Is there any hope for a revival? A male turtle somewhere on the planet perhaps – find out when you read more.

And (dun dun dun), there is a 100-year-old male Yangtze soft-shell turtle just 500 miles away! One male, one female, both in China . . . cue violins. If these two could only meet, it may possibly revive the population and save them from extinction!

Source

Turtle Loves Cat, Cat Doesn't Love Back

GiggleSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0700

It's a story as old as time itself. Cat loves dog, dog doesn't love cat back. And then you have this: a turtle desperate for this cat's affection. Take a cue from Crosby, Stills & Nash, little critters: If you can't be with the one you love/honey, love the one you're with.