October 18, 2010

No Pet of Mine

I am sometimes flabbergasted by the unique finds along our evening walking routes. Last month I posted the white deer I had spotted close to home, and not too long after that we walked by an empty lot with eight, yes, eight very large tortoises. I had not brought my camera, so some days later I went back and three of them were already gone; sold as pets, I presume.

I know as much, if not less, about turtles and tortoises than I know about flowers, so please, no hard questions; although if I provide misinformation, do tell. I can't even say for sure that these are not turtles, possibly a more generic category of the shelled reptile, but usually the term refers to those living in and around water. They definitely are tortoises, the land-dwelling chelonian cousin.

Manila, 2010

My cursory research tells me these may be spurred tortoises aka sulcata tortoises, originally from the grasslands and woody scrub lands at the edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa. They can grow up to 76 cm/30 in, weigh up to 50 kgs/110 lbs, and live up to 100 years or more. You can get a closer look at these amazing creatures by clicking on the montage, and then again.

Let's just say one of these will not become a pet of mine. 

But they were interesting to learn about and I am posting them for Camera Critters (albeit a bit late to that party), Mellow Yellow Monday and Mosaic Monday.

23 comments:

Zyzzyz said...

If you take on a tortoise it is not just for your life but for that of your family.

Chubby Chieque said...

Hi,
Sorry I stumbled in here thru Jim in Sydney.

Wow! a canadian living in the Phils? It's funny, though, as am a filipina living in EU where U came from.

Arrrggghhh... you're such a lucky lady living where I came from. Hope to catch up with U when I get there. Well, I came from Davao City. I have a house in the city where is empty for rent. Ha ha...

Have a happy Monday!

Greetings from the chilly Stockholm.
/chie

Lowell said...

'Tis a lovely montage, mosaic, collage, Francisca. I find these creatures very interesting also...I've seen big ones like these only in zoos...

I may have to take one in as a pet, if you don't - just for my ego's sake: these days it's probably the only thing I can outrun!

Wout said...

Beautiful pictures of this turtle. Greeting, Wout

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh my goodness Francisca -- you should never go out without your camera!! These are beautiful pictures (although I wouldn't want for a pet either). I'm glad a few of them were still there when you went back.

Hilda said...

Makes me wonder just how far south you live. I sure don't see deer or tortoises where I live in QC! Just a whole bunch of stray cats, lots of dogs, and the occasional chicken. :P

Liz said...

Beautiful capture!

VP said...

One simple reason to avoid this creature as a pet is that it can easily outlicve us, and this is not the sort of inheritance people are happy with!

Erika B said...

Great shots and a beautiful collage!

Erika B

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Thanks Francisca for the updated Chinese lessons in names. I changed it in my post.

I still have the habit of anglicising words, having been born in British Borneo.

Your Husband grew up in Hong Kong?

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

When I was in Singapore, my friends told me not to pick up turtles and take them home. This is a Chinese Custome. If anyone in the family has an illness, or bad luck, they write the bad stuff on the turlte shell. They believe who ever picks the turtle will take the bad luck home.

Kaori said...

I looked at your photo upclose and although I noticed it eating grass...its mouth still looks pretty scary in the upper left photo! But a lot of Japanese people have turtles as pets, too. Although I think they're a bit smaller :-D

Chubskulit Rose said...

Gorgeous!

Please come and see my Mellow Yellow post when you have time. Thank you and have a nice day!

tapirgal said...

Funny comment by VP. A person has to be careful with turtles and tortoises, because they are often susceptible to respiratory ailments, so it would be the lucky tortoise that outlived its owner. I hope these are acclimated and healthy. I do love tortoises. I made a comment on the bridge photo between Washington and Oregon. Thanks for everyone's good wishes. Lee is pretty much a miracle boy now. Excellent recovery after a possibly very bleak prognosis.

Rajesh said...

Beautiful mosaic of tortoise.

Kim, USA said...

I hope they are sold and become a pet or else they are taken and sold then eaten. ^_^ Happy Monday!
Plant for bugs

eileeninmd said...

Francisca, I love your tortoise mosaic. They are big and I'm sure they eat a lot too.

EG CameraGirl said...

They sure do look BIG! Not too cuddly, I imagine. :)

Kay L. Davies said...

I hope Kim's wrong about them being eaten. Not that I'd want a large tortoise for a pet, either, but my brother and his wife had two desert tortoises (about 6 or 8 inches) as pets when they lived in California. They called them "the kids" -- I wonder if they've told that story to their children.
Super photos as always, Francisca!

Kay, Alberta

Helena said...

Wonderful photos!

Unknown said...

I love tortoises. Great collage!

Sharon Creech said...

They're so much more prehistoric looking than their miniature counterparts. . .

Anonymous said...

Turtles are Awesome creatures
I love reading amazing facts and will be checking out for more. I am not sure about this but I think the tortoises live for as long as 500 years.
Don't whether this is myth or fact ..
tortoisefacts.com