This Saturday is Reptile Day at Davidson College. I went down to the pond today looking for turtles and saw one- probably a river cooter- at a distance but he slid into the water before I could get very close. These nice turtles are very interesting. They like the soft mud in the bottom of the pond and actually can bury themselves there for a couple of months in the coldest part of the winter. Their metabolism slows down and they don't need to breathe. They have an organ in their tail that can absorb oxygen from the water. On sunny days you may see them basking on the bank of a pond or on limbs or other handy places. They are wary and will slip into the water if you approach them. These turtles are omnivorous and one article says they will eat anything plant or animal, alive or dead. They like to eat fish and will also catch insects but must swallow them underwater. There are a lot of predators for river cooters but they are hardy and can live to be 40 years old.
And what about the frogs and snakes? Well I didn't see them today but I'll be watching!
Hope to see you at Reptile Day! And check out this website from the Davidson College Herpetology Lab, the sponsors of Reptile Day.
