For once I had my camera with me when I needed it. I saw this turtle just lying there on the sidewalk as I walked around the lake with Gizzy this morning. At first I thought it got hurt - like maybe someone ran over it because it was so flat - then I went closer (keeping Gizzy away for safe measure) and it had a face exactly like a gopher and I thought to myself: Oh, that's what a gopher turtle looks like...I had never seen such a turtle before. So, I stuck around, thinking someone is bound to drive by that can help me move him away from the street because I didn't want him to get flattened even more ;-) Meanwhile, I spritzed him with a little water since it was kind of hot and I always carry water with me when walking....he just sort of blinked at the water and looked at me in an irritated, bored sort of way. Finally, this big black truck comes along and the young man inside said: "What have you got?" I told him and he said it was a soft shell turtle and he will: "bite my finger right off" .... hmmm....but, why does he have a face like a gopher, I asked to which he replied once more: "he'll bite your finger right off" .... ok! He went back to his truck and grabbed a wooden oar to scoot him out of harm's way and boy, was I surprised: This little sucker could run! He was practically hydroplaning along the asphalt - he was flapping his feet so quickly it looked as if he had a dozen of them....really cool and weird looking!
I said to the young man, I wonder what he was doing sitting right here and the man speculated that someone was probably trying to catch him and kill him (no surprise as people here eat just about anything!) and as the turtle went back down to the creek, I thanked the young stranger for helping me and I moseyed on home realizing that I was only wearing my flip flops and standing rather close to that turtle not knowing how fast he could run: "He could a bit my toe right off!"
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
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