Jan. 24, 2010 - Tortoises and Sea Turtles
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One of our favorite places to visit while we are in Florida is the Gulf Specimen Lab in Panacea. They always have interesting “critters” to see. Most of their specimens are locally caught. This time, however, they also had two baby African Sulcata Tortoises. When they are full grown (2 ½ feet long and 80-110 pounds), they are the third largest tortoises in the world. They are only surpassed by the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands.
Here is a photo of Diana holding one of the baby tortoises so you can see how small they are. African Sulcatas are from the hot, arid regions of the Sub-Sahara and like temperatures of 70 degrees or higher. However, when it gets too hot for them, they dig burrows and stay underground, sometimes for months at a time. Northern Florida was experiencing unusually cool temperatures so these little guys needed to be kept inside for awhile.
The Lab also has some endangered sea turtles. This is a Loggerhead Turtle, the most common nesting sea turtle species in the United States. They spend most of their time out in the open ocean but the females return to the beach where they were hatched to lay their own eggs. They only do this every two or three years. Each female makes an average of four nests separated by two-week intervals. Each nest can contain 70-150 eggs that are about the size and shape of a ping pong ball. Loggerheads can reach 3 ½ feet long and weigh up to 800 pounds. This one is still relatively small (about a foot long). This loggerhead was raised from an egg and will soon be big enough to be released into the wild.
The other endangered sea turtle at the Lab is a Hawksbill Turtle. This species is even more endangered than the Loggerhead. In this photo you can see the sharp beak which gives the turtle its name. Another characteristic of the Hawksbill is the sharp, serrated edges of the shell. They grow to a length of just over 3 feet and average about 175 pounds. They live part of their life in the open ocean but also spend a lot of time in shallow water where they find their favorite food, sponges. This turtle was being kept in a tank full of sponges. It is missing a front flipper so it will be kept on exhibit at the Lab.
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