Quick Cute Turtle Post

I have a whole bunch of contractors onsite, preparing for one of our Fall fundraisers, so I'm just going to put up a quick post. Here's a follow-up to the tiny turtle post from this past weekend. First off, here's the Turtle Crossing sign put up by the Manager on Duty and self-appointed Turtle Tiger Mom:

She prepared a makeshift terrarium out of a plastic interoffice mail bin, complete with water and some plants, and collected about another half-dozen baby turtles to be transported away from the footpath. When I arrived, I moved them to locations closer to the pond and the stream.

I also took a picture of the underside of one of the turtles, in order to show how small the plastron of Chelydra serpentina is compared to overall body size:

This lack of armor is offset by the turtle's powerful bite and aggressive approach to defense. It also allows for a lot of maneuverability in forelimbs and neck... these turtles can readily right themselves if turned on their backs, using that long, pythonesque neck. If you look closely, there's a round mark in the center of the plastron where the yolk sac was attached in ovo. In all, I'd say that all of us accounted for about twenty-six baby turtles in all, over the course of two days. They are on their own now, but we got them through that initial, awkward 'please don't tread on me' stage.