Latest posts tagged with #TortoiseTime on Bluesky
Meet one of Florida’s most fascinating residents—the gopher tortoise. 🌿
👉 Explore more of my nature photography here: linktr.ee/RuesPhotogra...
#GopherTortoise #WildlifePhotography #FloridaNature #KeystoneSpecies #NatureFriday #SlowAndSteady #TortoiseTime #ExploreFlorida #RuesPhotography
Four sandy-colored desert tortoises congregate around two blue water dishes. Three of them are actively drinking and have submerged their faces in water up to their eyes. The fourth gazes at the camera; the moisture around her mouth indicates she was just drinking as well
It's #tortoisetime!
Water can be very hard to come by in the Mojave, especially in the Western Mojave. Desert tortoises can only reliably drink water during certain times of the year. As a result, these animals can reabsorb water from their urine and tolerate extreme water imbalances. 1/2
A desert tortoise naps on a bed of rocks. He has his head pressed against a particularly large rock, his sleepy face is fully in view for the audience.
I don't have a lot of pictures for #tortoisetime as it's chilly and so everyone was pretty inactive. However! I did catch this sweetie having a nice long nap.
#deserttortoise #tortoise #herpetology #herptiles
A male desert tortoise looking longingly into the distance. Pumpkin coats his face and his feet. there's a fair bit of it stuck in his gular horn, presumably for later.
The same desert tortoise from the front. He looks to have enacted some kind of pumpkin massacre, with puree truly all over his face. It's a wonder he didn't get any in his eyes.
Cleanliness is not often a concern for desert tortoises. This is especially true when pumpkin is involved.
#tortoisetime #tortoise #herpetology #herps
A tortoise eats pureed pumpkin with the fervor of a starving man. His pink tongue is just barely visible in his mouth. The bright orange of the pumpkin stands out against his tan scales.
Three tortoises eating pumpkin puree. All three are covered in pumpkin.
Three tortoises eating pumpkin puree. All three are covered in pumpkin.
Three tortoises eating pumpkin puree. All three are covered in pumpkin.
It's #tortoisetime! Now that it's March, so most of the tortoises are up and about. They got pumpkin yesterday and had a great time
#tortoise #herpetology #herps
A desert tortoise carefully considers leaving her artificial burrow to get some food.
#tortoisetime
While a lot of tortoises were up and about yesterday because of the warm weather, some decided to stay asleep! Previous research in this species has shown that there is no set time or cue for them to enter/exit brumation, it's all up to the individual!
A group of three tortoises around a food dish. Two are very interested in something off camera while the one in the middle eats. There's tortoises scattered around the background.
A tortoise looking up towards the camera with a very sweet face.
A tortoise groggily clambers out of an artificial burrow on some gravel. He looks like he just woke up from a three months nap
A small tortoise, Buttercup, looks up at the camera from beside a plate of food. She has big eyes and a small head.
I was a little busy yesterday so #tortoisetime is a little late! It was very warm yesterday, so a lot of the tortoises were up and active!
Two tortoises bathed in an every red glow. One has legs tucked into his shell for safekeeping while he rests and is looking at the camera hopefully.
A tortoise stanced up on his front legs. He's enjoying a delicious leaf of lettuce.
Firefly DID get up as I was leaving. He has a 6th sense for when treats are about and will wake up in the winter to have some. To really make sure he gets some, he'll lift his head to look up at you and beg, something none of the others do.
It's very effective.
#tortoisetime #herps #toetoise
Four tortoises lined up in a neat row under the radiator. They've all angled their butts towards the camera.
Two tortoises sharing an artificial burrow on a bed of gravel. They are unaware of the world at large.
It was cold all this week, so most of the tortoises were fast asleep during feeding! #tortoisetime updates might be a bit more scarce on this Friday!
#herpetology #herps #tortoise
A large desert tortoise, Gus, watched a much smaller female, Buttercup, eat food off of a plate. Gus sits politely just behind Buttercup, with both his back legs splooted out.
It's Valentine's day and we here at #tortoisetime would be remiss if we did not share a tale of romance. In our captive population Gus has always been obsessed with Buttercup, more than any other female. Here he is watching her eat.
No aggression, no biting, no attempt to eat her food. Just watching
Two desert tortoises: One with his rump facing the camera, while the second is looking at the first. The second tortoise looks as though he's been caught doing something he shouldn't.
#tortoisetime
Aggression in desert #tortoises is thankfully easy to spot! If you see a male bobbing his head, chances are he's planning to bite or ram or flip whatever is in his vicinity. Piute here (right) quit his bobbing once I got close, because I put aggressive tortoises in timeout.
#herps
A small Mojave Desert tortoise next to a water dish about as wide as she is long. The scales around her eyes are missing, making them look much bigger.
A Mojave Desert tortoise drinks from a water dish. Her nose is down in the water as she takes a big drink.
It's #tortoisetime! Buttercup and Miss Mallow are here to remind you to stay hydrated.
A little tortoise in front of a plate of pumpkin puree
The same tortoise, opening her mouth for a big bite
The tortoise opens her mouth wider and leans in for a real big bite
Completion of the Big Bite
#tortoisetime
Stages of a bite, featuring my favorite of our captive population: Buttercup (she's the littlest)!
#herpetology #tortoises
A desert tortoise with food all over his beak. 1/3.
A desert tortoise with food all over his face, from his beak to his eyes. 2/3
#tortoisetime
The gory aftermath of The Feast.
#tortoise #herpetology
#tortoisetime
I took some videos since today, too! To share the bliss of getting pumpkin.
I moved Mallow after I took this because she kept biting the air and couldn't quite get a good angle to eat from.
#tortoises #herpetology
Two desert tortoises over a plate of food. The one on the left has clearly been eating, with pumpkin puree all over his face, while the one on the right prepares to take her first bite.
It's Friday, which means it's #tortoisetime! Everyone was excited for some pumpkin puree!
Big Boy (left) is going to town while Mallow (right) contemplates her angle of attack.
A tan Mojave Desert tortoise on a concrete floor with his left foot in a plate of food. There is also food on the plastron of his shell. He looks thoughtfully into the distance.
Fridays and Saturdays are #tortoisetime, where I post pictures of our captive Mojave Desert tortoise! Most everyone is asleep in winter, so I don't get many, but here's Firefly with so much food in his gular horn.
#tortoise #herpetology #herps
