Monday, March 1, 2010

Meet Cross' Critters: Part IV: Flash

Readers:

I may seem like any run of the mill turtle, but I have some surprising facts to share.

*I can live up to 40 years in the wild, but my life span is shorter in captivity. Thankfully, Mr. Cross keeps me in the courtyard so I feel like I'm in the wild.

*I don't have teeth, but I do have a beak to help me chew. I rarely use it though. Swallowing food whole is more fun for me--especially chewed up sandwiches dropped by Drew.

*My shell is made up of 13 different bone plates called scutes. As I grow, I shed my outermost layer and grow a larger plate underneath. Kind of like a tree, you can tell how old I am based on the rings on my scutes.

*The best things come in threes. That's why my heart has three chambers instead of four like humans. College students often use my strong ticker (well, not mine, but you know what I mean) to study the heart and its beat.

Hope you'll drop by the courtyard sometime!

~Flash, the painted turtle
"Eat, Sleep, Crawl"
www.micedonttastelikechicken.com
Coming August 2010!


Flash (PAINTED TURTLE)
My…pro….gress….is…..slow, I….plod….and….I…..trudge,
Get….me….in….the….sun, I….won’t…..want…..to…..budge.
 
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