Snapping Turtles Hatching

[Catherine]

The video is speeded up otherwise it would take forever. Reptiles are slow to hatch.
These are local Ontario snapping turtles being incubated at The Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Quote:What can you do to help hatchling turtles?
Simple: leave 'em alone.

After incubating all summer, Ontario turtles are finally coming out of their shells. Unlike mammal and bird species, turtles do not require parental care, and are fully independent when they hatch.

Unless they appear injured or are in immediate danger, they don't need our help (despite their tiny size). Discourage others from taking young turtles from the wild for pets. They don't thrive in captivity and many grow to unmanageable sizes. Snapping turtles, like the tiny hatchlings to the left, can have a lifespan of over 100 years in the wild.

7-out-of-8 Ontario turtle species are considered to be species-at-risk. With the support of TD FEF,

we are incubating and hatching turtle eggs collected from injured turtles in care and releasing the young turtles in the wild.

This is the message that comes with the video. The Toronto Wildlife Centre does a lot of good work.

[platy]

Turtles are fascinating.

Off topic to hatching eggs, but the leatherback turtle is seriously cool. They live off jellyfish and have this specialised oesophagus to move them down to the stomach.
The whole video is interesting, but you can watch from around the 20 minute mark to check out the oesophagus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn0ZDR5qPRo

[Catherine]

I think I knew that about the Leather Backs eating jelly fish. I can't remember where I learned that.

Turtle are so interesting. From the tiniest hatchling to the biggest sea turtle they fascinate us. They are so very ancient and unchanged. I hope all our conservation efforts work. A world without turtles would be a poorer place.

[Cibach]

What terrific work these people are doing.

[Catherine]

It is amazing. A city like Toronto has a lot of wildlife because it is built on rivers and creeks and ravines and of course a great big lake. Toronto Wildlife takes in the animals from Toronto and the areas around it.
Last winter it was bats in trouble. Every spring/summer there are baby ducks, squirrels, geese, song birds, racoons. There is a never ending supply of wildlife in need. We are so lucky to have a place like this.

[Tobi]

Watching them hatch was fascinating. Thank goodness for time-lapse photography! Toronto Wildlife Centre is doing some great work

[Catherine]

The time lapse photography makes them look comical. Hatching is quite the event. Don't you wish I could time lapse my snakes hatching.
It would be the only way to see a whole hatching.

Those little tiny turtles are actually going to be our local snapping turtles.
http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/spe...turtle.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_snapping_turtle
They can live to be a very big turtle, for a fresh water species.