#testudines — Public Fediverse posts

Nesting season for Diamondback Terrapins, which are often seen wandering the footpaths at the Marine Nature Study Area (NY), sometimes trying to dig nests on the footpaths. These are the only North American turtles that inhabit brackish waters, although they can tolerate both fresh water and full salt water. While their range is extensive -- the Atlantic and Gulf coasts -- it is limited to a narrow coastal strip, which is seriously affected by capitalogenic habitat loss (especially coastal development and sea-level rise). The IUCN lists them as Vulnerable.

#nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #biodiversity #biodiversitydecline #testudines #turtle #reptile #wildlife #wildlifephotography #saltmarsh

Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta)

#Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

Northern Red-bellied Cooters (Pseudemys rubriventris)

#Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna)

#Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

#SnappingTurtle #Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

#SnappingTurtle #Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

#Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

#Turtle #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Reptile #Reptiles #Reptilia #Turtles #Testudines #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #MarshMadness #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

Some more yard-birds, today. I WAS going to go with my local Audubon crew on a walk at Jones Beach, where I MIGHT have observed a Dickcissel, American Pipit, Vesper Sparrow and Red-headed Woodpecker. Instead, I turned the alarm off...

Oh, well... I caught some nice views of some of the most common seasonal visitors to my yard and feeders. Except the Nuthatch. Not so common and a temporary resident.

#nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #biodiversity #biodiversitydecline #testudines #turtle #reptile #wildlife #wildlifephotography

A couple living in an area not far (in a vehicle) from the Marine Nature Study Area (Oceanside, NY) has a waterfront home near a Diamondback Terrapin nesting site. The estuarine Terrapins are now hatching, and the hatchlings manage to find a way into their garage. So, they release them in MNSA, which they consider safer than their waterfront. This speaks well of MNSA's reputation as a haven for wildlife and public awareness of the endangered status of these turtles, but may not be the best approach, as Diamondbacks, like other turtles, show strong territorial fidelity, and may seek to return to their hatching site when they are mature.
8/29/24
#nature #naturephotography #birders #naturecommunity #biodiversity #biodiversitydecline #testudines #turtle #reptile #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Here's your daily¹ reminder that turtles are not "inside" their shells. They *are* their shells.

(¹ok, so it's not really daily)

#turtle #turtles #tortoises #TurtlesOfMastodon #TortoisesOfMastodon #testudines #chordata #reptiles #animal #animals #shell #skeleton #bones #education

#IAmDB

Painted Turtles sunning on a 73 degree F. day, getting near mid-November. Bombay Hook, Delaware

#nature
#NaturePhotography
#Wildlife
#naturecommunity
#photography
#turtle #testudines

Diamondback Terrapin

This mama turtle was pretty chill. She didn't even fully retract when I approached, although she froze. So I backed up, but she stayed there for a few before scooting to the water.
#nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #biodiversity #biodiversitydecline #testudines #turtle #reptile #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Diamondback Terrapin
An endangered species, this is the only estuarine turtle in North America. This is also their nesting season, and these turtles can be encountered walking across the paths to and from nesting sites at this preserve.
#nature #naturephotography #naturecommunity #biodiversity #biodiversitydecline #testudines #turtle #reptile #wildlife #wildlifephotography

@J_Exp_Biol

Switchable neural components in turtles. Perhaps not surprising but certainly extraordinary! The source paper:

"Responses of the in vitro turtle brain to visual and auditory stimuli during severe hypoxia", Ariel et al. 2023 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244687

"North American pond turtles (Emydidae) are renowned for their ability to survive extreme hypoxia and anoxia, which enables several species to overwinter in ice-locked, anoxic freshwater ponds and bogs for months."

These qualities make turtles fantastic laboratory animals for neuroscience research:

"Large-scale mapping of cortical synaptic projections with extracellular electrode arrays", Shein-Idelson et al. 2017 https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth.4393

#neuroscience #reptiles #Testudines #turtles #vision #CerebralCortex #hibernation

New #fossil was one of the largest #MarineTurtles ever https://phys.org/news/2022-11-fossil-largest-marine-turtles.html

A gigantic bizarre marine #turtle (#Testudines: #Chelonioidea) from the Middle #Campanian (Late #Cretaceous) of South-western Europe https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22619-w

#Leviathanochelys is the largest #MarineTurtle ever discovered in Europe, and one of the largest found worldwide. These findings indicate that #gigantism in marine turtles developed independently in different lineages in both North America and Europe.