The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Griffons!

Lovely turtles

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Thank you everyone! @Kiki, I agree with your IDs but didn't feel comfortable enough to label them that myself. I guess the better label would have been "models not on TAW and ones I am uncomfortable to label myself".

The main problem with them is to identify the brand, if you have time to make some pics for TAW, I would add them.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

And now, a rather small group for my collection (12 portraits altogether). Another group I know less about and so... I have a question. Is the term "Chelonians" or "Testudines" better for this group of turtles, tortoises, and terrapins? When I was in school both were used and the group was explained as being rather mysterious in its provenance due to the lack of fossil evidence to explain its evolution. Any info someone can share with me is appreciated.

In French we also have the two words to define this group, as far as I understand, Chelonians (order Chelonii) is used in the classic classification and Testudines in the phylogenetic one. What was very disconcerting for me was to discover that in English there were three terms for Testudines, turtle, tortoise and terrapin. In French we only use Tortue (where the word Turtle comes from), we have the Terrestrial turtles, the aquatic turtles and the marine turtles

I found this:
"Chelonians is a more general term used colloquially to refer to turtles, tortoises, and terrapins, Testudines is the formal taxonomic classification for the order to which these animals belong."

So they're basically the same.
In Portuguese language we also use both but we don't have equivalent words for turtle, tortoise and terrapin. We call most of them as tartarugas and we use cágado for a few freshwater species. A good example is the European pond turtle which is also known in English as European pond terrapin and European pond tortoise. So, these we can tell for sure they don't have a defined scientific meaning, somewhat like frogs and toads.

Thank you everyone. So the words are essentially interchangeable, but Chelonia is the more correct.

Green Sea Turtles!
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These guys are the largest hard-shelled turtles. They are unique amongst sea turtles because they are more herbivorous (eating seagrasses and algae). This is actually how they got their name; their diet makes their fat green! So it wasn't their shell color at all!

Curious fact: "I used to think that vegetables were called 'greens' because children turn green whenever their mothers put them on their plates. ;P
i would love to build a trio at 1:15 scale with the green, hawksbill and loggerhead.

Thank you everyone. :)

Here is a double post for missing yesterday. More species of sea turtles and some unidentified ones.
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For sea turtles in general, their eggs' sex are temperature dependant. Cooler temps will produce more males, warmer will produce more females. If the nest is in an area with a high enough temperature swing, the clutch will be better mixed between the two sexes. Most females nest at night but Kemp's ridleys often nest during the daytime.

I missed these! Love sea turtles! Leatherbacks are my favorite. Wonderful groups

Nice shell parade

With regards to names- in English,I was thought that tortoise is a land,turtle is marine and terrapin is semi aquatic freshwater.

Thank you everyone!

@Taylor, turtles get confusing in English I think because there is the dictionary definition and then the colloquial definition. For me for instance, growing up, a tortoise was a land turtle (easily identified by their feet) and a turtle was anything aquatic. Terrapin didn't exist for me until highschool age. The actual dictionary definitions though, you are 100% right in your comment.

Galápagos tortoises!
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I am sure this is a generalization but something I learned is that the tortoises in more humid environments have dome shaped shells; these don't allow for the extension of the neck, so these guys are more ground level grazers. Drier environments have 'saddle-backed" shell tortoises; these shells have an upturned lip that allow the neck to be raised more and they can nibble of taller plants. Lastly, the drier climate dwelling species eat Galápagos cactus... ones with 2-3 inch thorns!!! I don't know how they do it! It looks like it would be painful but it doesn't bother them one bit.

Great What is the little green one in the foreground ?

That is the US Yowies model. Series 2 I think? It was one of the harder ones to find.

Thank you my friends. :)

The remaining tortoises!
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The oldest tortoise recorded was believed to be 175 years old! She was collected by Charles Darwin (THE Darwin) and later ended up at Australia Zoo in Queensland. She passed in 2006.

Great family portrait again.

I have a soft spot for the two Yowies

It's incredible to think that in Australia, I could have met a tortoise who had known Darwin

Kikimalou wrote:

It's incredible to think that in Australia, I could have met a tortoise who had known Darwin

Right?! Crazy that she lived to be nearly 200 years old. The oldest known animal on record is a clam at 507. A greenland shark (female) was tested to be 400 years old. And there are plenty of other animals in the 100-200 year old range. Oldest living land mammals currently are 65 year old gorillas (there is a bowhead whale at 211!). *this all excludes humans of course*

Unfortunately I don't speak Clam

Me neither; guess we miss out on the secrets of the universe.

Now, some proper turtles.
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Mata mata are some of my favorites as they are just so weird looking! Tonight I learned that they have filamentous spines in their throat; no one is sure what purpose they provide but theories include grasping prey items. Their weird skin flaps are also super nerve sensitive, making them experts at "seeing" their surroundings (like prey) without using their eyesight!

Mata mata , I love the name

What brand is your lovely big one ? Imperial ? Larami ?

A pic or two for TAW ?

Here is a great species to be included in the Safari Ltd Incredible Creatures series.

Roger wrote:

Here is a great species to be included in the Safari Ltd Incredible Creatures series.

Indeed

That big one was part of a set of chinamal type turtles. The advertising on the bag said Banks School Supply Inc. I assume it uses moulds from companies like Nayab. It had 6 models in it, a Galapagos tortoise, the mata, two softshells (next), a snapping turtle and some other turtle. If we want to add pics for TAW I am happy to do so.