Quarantine entry #85 - June 14

Obligatory disclaimer: real life sucks. By now, the American people have started to realize that their ‘civil unrest’ is unhealthy in so many ways and are trying to tone it down instead, but that is hard; in Seattle, in particular, there’s some sort of a ‘leftist’ people’s republic or something. Forget U.S.S.R. – this is right out of the 19^th century, when proto-communists of France and the rest of Europe took over Paris and declared a commune. It didn’t hold, because by then the communists, socialists etc. of Europe and especially of France were very different of their 18^th century predecessors – remember them? …No, you probably do not, but if you ever read about the French revolutions and France’s revolutionary history, you will see the difference. What is next?

Let us get back to our old fan favorite, the turtle/tortoise/terrapin. Right now, they are probably the oldest order of reptiles. (Unless they are parareptiles or something like that instead. Scientists are not sure anymore). There are more than 230 species of turtles, supposedly, and they live in all sorts of ecosystems, except for the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the mountains. They are instantly recognizable from everything else, (differentiating different species of turtles from each other can be trickier), but each turtle group has its’ own personal quirks. In particular, the terrapins, (or freshwater turtles), usually have smooth shells and legs and feet adapted for swimming and climbing – they are both clawed and webbed. There are some odd ones in that group, however, such as the snapping turtles and the matamata – these turtles may be some of the most basic turtles, and cannot even withdraw their heads beneath their shells because of anatomical reasons.

…Actually, about that. Most turtles withdraw their heads beneath their shells straight on – just look at the tortoises from a pet store. They are called cryptodires, aka ‘hidden necks’. However, some turtles, especially freshwater ones, cannot do these, and put their necks and heads beneath their shells sideways – hence their name, pleurodires. They are considered to be less derived than their cryptodire cousins are.

Back to the turtles proper. The terrestrial turtles, or tortoises, usually have high, domed shells, and legs and feet adapted for walking on, and digging into, the ground. They are also the most herbivorous of all the turtles… though yes, probably because they are too slowly to catch anything alive – their freshwater cousins are the proportionally faster ones out of the two groups. The term ‘tortoise’ is more restrictive than the term ‘turtle’, and these days, most people prefer the latter to both ‘tortoise’ and ‘terrapin’.

…On the other hand, the term ‘turtle’ is more often referred to the group that is called ‘the sea turtles’, (no duh!), which are instantly recognizable – both from the other reptiles and the other turtles. (Captain Obvious says come on!) They are the smallest group of those ancient reptiles, but also, some of the most physically big modern reptiles; they are certainly more massive than most of other reptiles, (including some of the smaller crocodiles and caimans). As a result, these marine giants come ashore only to lay eggs…which is where their problems began, as humans kill them for their eggs, meat, and shells. Therefore, most sea turtles are endangered; actually, most of the turtles are endangered, both from human hunting and from habitat destruction; ‘Lonesome George’, anyone?.. What next?

…The tide has turned, people have started to help turtles – sea turtles and otherwise – to survive. So far, it is a mixed bag, because Earth’s ecology has changed considerably since humans arrived at the global scene with a bang and an Industrial revolution, and who knows what else. Bad news for the rest of Earth’s animals (and plants), I suppose, but that is real life. It sucks, COVID-19 or not.

Well, this is it for now. See you all soon!