Turtles: Bony Shells All Around
African-Spurred Tortoise
Centrochelys sulcata
My name is “Josie”. You see, I am a turtle, but I’m also a tortoise, and I eat a ton. Randy allowed the person that donates food to me the privilege of naming me. Kristi chose Josie! I’m so happy she did, or else Randy would’ve had to start pillaging dumpsters, growing vegetables, or waving a magic wand. Right now I’m 20 inches wide, but I can get to be over 2.5 feet wide. Oh, and I live for 150 to 180 years. Please know what you are getting into before you buy a cute little baby turtle/tortoise…we sometimes outlive our owners!
My name is “Bowser” and I have a bad attitude. I am much smaller than Josie but I definitely bully her around. We are the same species but my shell has pyramiding scutes. This actually means my diet was not correct for the first part of my life. I should have a smooth shell and hopefully mine will flatten out as I eat more grasses and less greens while getting bigger. Randy supplements my diet with grassland tortoise pellets to try and achieve that goal.
Red-Footed Tortoise
Chelonoidis carbonaria
My name is “Ruby” and I am from South America. I have a much smoother shell than Bowser, which means, my first owners took good care of me. They fed me pellets that had the right mixture of nutrients for my omnivorous diet. I am so grateful they did because I can live for over fifty years and I want to enjoy every moment. I do eat a lot though, which means I also poop a lot. Please remember this fact before buying a tortoise.
Asian Leaf Turtle
Cyclemys dentata
My name is “Mulan” and I am a good teaching tool as to what happens if turtles do not have the correct lighting or diet (my UVB light fixture had a plastic cover covering the bulb for eight years, therefore the UVB light didn’t shine through and hit my body). Because of that, my shell didn’t develop correctly, and it doesn’t cover up all of my back. Choose me if you would like to talk about proper turtle care, but please remember, Randy doesn’t recommend keeping turtles as pets unless you are dedicated to decades of cleaning dirty tanks!
Common snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina
My name is “Goober” and I am awesome. Adult snappers would never let a human being pick them up without a defensive display (or bite) so don’t pick up my wild relatives! We snapping turtles can live for 130 years. Right now I am too cute for my own good, but I will grow (like all turtles) so don’t buy us if you’re not ready for many years of cleaning our stinky tanks!
Red-Eared Slider
Trachemys scripta
My name is “Bob” and I am a female red-eared slider. My first owner named me without knowing my sex, but Party Safari staff will teach you how to differentiate between adult male and adult female pond turtles. Speaking of males and females, did you know that all adult female turtles lay eggs to reproduce?
Yellowbelly Slider
Trachemys scripta scripta
My name is “Lemon Head” and I am a male yellowbelly slider. I am closely related to the red-eared species above, and I have been known to breed with females. Do you think our hatchlings would be orange turtles?
Mississippi Map
Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii
My name is “Kayla” and I am a female Mississippi map turtle. Compare me with the tortoise to see the differences between aquatic turtles and land-trapped tortoises. I’m a bit calmer than the two sliders above, but we are all faster than the fables would make you think.
Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina carolina
My name is “Potato” because I look like one. I have a plastron (bottom shell) that is uniformly yellow; whereas, my friend below has a plastron that is black and yellow. This difference is how you can tell us apart in areas where we overlap (central United States)! Randy likes to do a turtle race at presentations. Let us know if you would like to see one when you reserve a date.
Western Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata
My name is “Chip” because I was ran over by some farming equipment out west (I have the scar to prove it). How do you think I survived? The same way all of my turtle ancestors have! We’ve been rocking a tough shell since the time of dinosaurs. (It’ll take more than one tractor to get rid of me.) Oh, and I look like a tortoise, but you’ve got to know my ancestors before you judge me. The Party Safari staff will explain how I’m more closely related to pond turtles than tortoises if you choose me for your event.
An ancient animal group that puts all of their eggs in one basket!
Ask our staff how they survive.
