As a child, I often kept box turtles as pets. We lived in my grandmother’s basement for a time, so it seemed a perfect place to let turtles roam around in. My dad, a carpenter, would build them “apartments” and things to play in, and I’d like to think they were relatively happy.

That said, today we know that box turtles are a threatened species. Though habitat destruction and global warming are cited as key reasons why, a primary factor is the actual capture of box turtles in commercial trade. With a low reproduction rate and as many as 30,000 turtles being captured and sold in less than a four-year time frame, even laws against capturing the turtles don’t help much.

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I never really understood the desire to eat turtles. I get that chicken and pigs and cows are raised as food, and while it’s usually not humane, it’s something that everyone’s familiar with.

Kids are taught “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” before they can read and write, after all, and while the whole smiling family farmer in the dell and the happy cows and all of the other BS is usually—well, BS—these days in light of the factory farms that riddle the country, at least people know that the food comes from living creatures, and that they’re specifically bred for it.

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Amazingly, a 90-year-old, 198-pound giant tortoise—the last of his own kind—may soon be a father. In his pen at the Galapagos Islands, “Lonesome George” was discovered with some very unexpected company on Monday—five unhatched eggs in perfect condition.

This news is incredibly exciting, as no known Pinta island tortoises have reproduced in decades, and despite much encouragement from his keepers since 1993, George hasn’t expressed an interested in mating—that is, apparently, until now.

Also amazing is that George is considered to be in his “sexual prime.” Though I knew turtles grew to be very old, even older than humans—anyone who’s seen Finding Nemo knows that, right?—I had no idea that 90 was considered to be a good age for reproduction.

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Have you ever wondered just what makes up a turtle shell? I know when I was a kid, I thought it grew right out of its back and around its body, because the turtle shell that my dad found in the woods and gave to me still had a backbone in it, attached.

 It turns out that I was pretty close.

Japanese scientists at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan have discovered that turtle shells are actually made from their own shoulder blades and rib bones. According to the study, published in Science journal, while in the egg, the shell completes a strange but cool folding process that pushes the turtle’s shoulder blades straight into its own ribcage, which makes the ribs grow around them, creating the shell.

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When I read stories like this one, two thoughts cross my mind. The first is, “Awesome! This is exactly what we need.” The second? “It’s about bloody time. Why haven’t we done this already?” Though sea turtle protection is long overdue—especially considering that all species of sea turtles are endangered—we can definitely welcome any protection now with open arms. Better late than never, right?

Since many sea turtles meet their untimely deaths in fisherman’s nets, a new device is being developed to target these nets in order to protect turtles. Fishery managers are using a Cape Cod company to develop a device that will allow them to continue using fishing nets while still protecting sea turtles.

Hopefully it’s not too good to be true.

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Dam will block migration routesIn the US it is easy to see rivers as recreational.  A place to sail, swim or fish.  But in many parts of the world rivers are often the life line for millions of of people. The Mekong River in southeast Asia is one such life line, and the residents who depend on this particular river say that the proposed building of 11 hydroelectric dams in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, will have a devastating affect on the humans and wildlife that depend on it.

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What's cooler and cuter than turtles? Baby turtles.

And what's cuter and cooler than baby turtles?

Baby turtles just hatching.

Giant Leatherbacked Turtles are Making a ComebackYou've heard of the crazy cat ladies, but have you heard of the "Crazy Turtle Lady"?  She's not so crazy afterall, and is a real-life hero to the Giant Leatherback Turtles in her native Trinidad. 

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Our leathery shelled friends have made the news multiple times this week:

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With all of the news of the swine flu epidemic coming out of Mexico, some brighter news is always welcome. These sea turtles, released in Puerto Escondido, Mexico on World Turtle Day last Saturday, are definitely a ray of light—not just for Mexico, but for sea turtles in general.

All species of sea turtles are labeled as either endangered or threatened, so any attempts to increase their population provide hope for their survival. Though it’s illegal to hunt most turtle varieties, they are still captured and sold as a delicacy in China and many other countries—as well as used for leather products such as shoes and wallets.

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