The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Griffons!

Great to see all these turtle and tortoise species. Sometimes hard to tell which species they are, though the leatherbacks are obvious. Interesting information about the Darwin tortoise!

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

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.

Of course I would be happy

Nice turtles again

Thank you everyone. :) @Kiki, I will work on pics for TAW.

Softshells!
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These are my favorite group with this category. They are just odd looking animals to me I find them endearing. Something I just learned is that these guys use both pharyngeal and cloacal breathing. These animals can stay submerged for hours on end and use these methods to continue harvesting oxygen while waiting for prey to swim by.

Excellent collection!

Those are really cool turtles.

Nice again

Nice tribe Paige    The Safari 160605 Soft Shell Turtle is one more great miss for me    I still don't understand why I didn't catch it when it was still available.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

These are my favorite group with this category. They are just odd looking animals to me I find them endearing. Something I just learned is that these guys use both pharyngeal and cloacal breathing. These animals can stay submerged for hours on end and use these methods to continue harvesting oxygen while waiting for prey to swim by.

It's a good thing we humans haven't inherited the same opportunities, because swimming pools and days at the seaside would look a lot different!

Thank you everyone!

Snapping turtles!

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Part of the reason these animals have such a reputation is because their body proportions are very different from other turtles. Their shell and plastron are rather small compared to the actual body, preventing them from being able to withdraw their extremeties into safety. Because of this, it is thought they developed their well known "bite first- ask questions later" aggression.

I like the turtle with red head.

Thank you both. That flashy snapper is quite popular it seems!

Mixed turtles!
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Red eared sliders are one of the world's most common pets in the trade because they are cheap and typically easy to handle. However, they have become highly invasive as well. They pose a salmonella risk to humans if their tank isn't properly cleaned or filtered (owners should also make sure to wash their hands well after handling the animal or its aquatic habitat).

Wonderful collection again.I had a Red eared terrapin when I was younger but I had to find a new home for him as my mother said his tank stank even though I had a filter and cleaned it out regularly!

landrover wrote:

I like the turtle with red head.

I love also the ones with green and yellow heads

And the Larami Alabama Map Turtle

Thank you everyone. And I'm sorry Taylor! I do think turtles have a certain odor that's not necessarily linked to uncleanliness... same for some other animals too but, I'm sorry you had to rehome your little friend.

More mixed turtles! In fact, this is the end of all my chelonians. I am doing a double post as I have gotten sick again and have found it hard to look screens for any length of time.

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Despite the golden coin turtle being a sign of good fortune and prosperity, they are also viewed as an animal whose parts can cure cancer... thus this turtle has suffered a lot of misfortune due to these unsubstantiated claims.

And for a generic turtle fact, the group of softshelled turtles are the first known of the modern chelonians found in the fossil record!

I hope you have a speedy recovery, Paige. Speedy is not a word to use when the subject is about turtles but I really hope you get better soon.

Thank you Roger, and indeed I am. :)

Here are some updates. These ARE up on the website, but I did not get a chance to update them within this thread. That is the project for this week.

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And now we begin our reptile adventure!

American alligators!
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These guys have proven smarter than they may look. Wild gators have been observed balancing bracken and sticks on their heads to entice nesting birds to approach. They then make a strike attempt! Pretty ingenious to outsmart the birds preoccupied with nest building.

Are the squirrels repainted? And what brand is the the smaller prairie dog?

Many beautieful treasures :)

Beautiful collection!!!

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.

Chelonian is extant turtles, and Testudines is all turtles, including the extinct ones. :)

I am sorry to have missed all these reptile posts, but your turtles and alligators are amazing! Some really cool figures I've never seen in here. I love the softshells, I had no idea so many existed. I also have a soft spot for the snappers.

Paige they all look great in their family groups!
What is the tall thin maned wolf at the front? Such an unusual yet elegant model.
And what make is the eating pronghorn at the front right? First time I've seen an eating pronghorn model.
Do you not have the white Kinder wolf figure? like the grey one (top left in your pic) with the left paw raised

Thank you everyone!

@Andreas, yes those are custom Kaibab and Abert squirrels. The smaller prairie dog is Safari ltd. from their desert toob(?) but I repainted it long ago so that is not the original finish.

@Taylor, thank you my friend.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], thank you! Those terms have always been a bit confusing to me. I am quite proud of my softshell collection, even missing several exemplary Japanese models.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], that is the Colorata maned wolf, small New Ray pronghorn (they also made a larger standing figure behind it as well as the running one on the homemade stand).

I DO have the white Kinder model but I have not added it to my Arctic wolf family portrait yet. Thank you for reminding me!