The turtle lives 'twixt plated decks
Which practically conceal its sex.
I think it clever of the turtle
In such a fix to be so fertile. ~ Ogden Nash
Want some news guaranteed to tickle your fins?
It’s been a record year for sea turtle nests along South Walton beaches, with 115 nests recorded as of Aug. 10, 2012. South Walton Turtle Watch, a volunteer group that protects endangered sea turtles, reported two-and-a-half times more nests on South Walton beaches this year compared to last year.
South Walton is one of only three counties in Florida — and the only one on the Gulf Coast — to have four of the five nesting species of sea turtles (loggerhead, green, Kemp’s Ridley and leatherback) establish nests on its beaches.
Give it up for sea turtles! And make sure to watch the above video of a recent South Walton hatchling release: it’s very cute and educational, too.
Fun Turtle Facts: Turtles can live an astonishingly long time. The large tortoises from the Galapagos Islands can live more than 200 years, some American box turtles have been documented at over 100 years old, and some sea turtles live 75 years or more. The common pet, the red-eared slider, can live 40 years or more.