View allAll Photos Tagged tortoise
Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
A Gopher Tortoise snacks on a leafy plant. In Florida, the Gopher Tortoise is listed as a threatened species. They are also a keystone species as more than 100 other species rely on them or their burrows for survival. In the dry scrub habitat they are one of the few animals that can dig, and their burrows can extend up to 50 ft. underground. Many other animals in the scrub use these burrows to escape the heat, as nesting sites, or to take shelter from wildfires. Photographed with a Canon EOS 60D and Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens at the FAU Tortuga Trail, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
Largest of the tortoises, Galapagos tortoises are extremely long-lived. Calvin, pictured here, is estimated to be between 110-120 years old, though we are not sure. He came to the San Diego Zoo in 1978 through the California Department of Fish and Game. DNA shows he is a Chelonoidis porteri, a species from the Santa Cruz Island, La Caseta volcano region. He weights ~400 lbs.
(Over 1m Long) The largest living species of tortoise, the longest lived vertebrates and 13th heaviest living reptile...
Another case of Spontaneous Opera Syndrome!
Taken at the Royal Botanical Garden in Burlington, Ontario.
Found this tortoise in the woods in Frederick, MD. It was a good 12-16 inches long and I estimated it to weigh about 25 lbs. Not sure what species it was, and appreciate any comments on it. You can zoom in on the eye, arm, and head, which I find to be the most incredible.
The Victoria Butterfly Gardens is located in the Greater Victoria region of Brentwood Bay and is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Victoria area. The Victoria Butterfly Gardens is known for having different species of butterflies and moths in their indoor facility, as well as birds, fishes, frogs, a chameleon, geckoes and tortoises.
A baby and adult Sulcata Tortoise at Pets 'N' You in Red Lion, PA. The big one's name is "Tripper" and is a store pet.
The sun is out and all tortoises have only one thing on their mind, humping. I was going to crop the top but then decided it looked better as it was. Please give me your thoughts.
Traffic on the shell road at Kissimmee Prairie.
This was a large tortoise -- it was exciting to see it come barreling straight toward me like this -- those legs are so powerful!
A tier II winner (Top 100) in the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA) Showcase Competition - 2012
This GIANT Tortoise shows off his Elephant type feet with toes. A Turtle has flipper feet and a flatter shell
I saw this picture of a tortoise: imgur.com/r/Bossfight/jUfHG8T
Which got me thinking wouldn't it be interesting if there was a village on its back. I just ran with that idea and incorporated many colours into it to bring it to life.
The tortoise does have 4 legs even though you can't see them, there is also a twisting tree that sprouts up from the shell (a kind of S shape), this acted as the cornerstone for the houses. It was really fun to build, especially the flowers, I came up with weird part combinations and colours to make them look pretty. There is also a large butterfly perched on his head.
By Dave Box
I came across this big tortoise when visiting my sisters place up at lac Bernard in west Quebec. She was extra slow (the tortoise), as she was laying eggs when I crouched down and snapped this pic of her interesting face.
haha.... this ol' tortoise was just meandering in the Zoo...... had to grab at least one shot.... right? What a cheese ball... just look at that grin. lol
OMG.... check him out large! www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=205490602&size=l
Hit # 93 on Explore. Thanks! :)
Here's zookeeper Jess, again, muscling a tortoise on a hot summer day, to her destination, a kiddie pool in the exhibit.
A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, 2004 before wildlife rangers rescued him.
"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.
"After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.
"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.
This is a real story t hat shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God. Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.