May 23, 2014 is World Turtle Day—a good day to pull out the old “Ninja Turtles” VHS tapes, or to get into these unusual, real-life turtle stories.
Lost Pet Found Alive After 30 Years
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Back in 1982, the Almeida family was having their home renovated in Realgo, Brazil. One day, their pet tortoise Manuela disappeared and the Almeida’s assumed she had escaped. Well, 32 years later, the Almeidas were cleaning out an upstairs storage room where their father had literally been hoarding a bunch of old furniture and broken electronic equipment, and found Manuela alive and well.
Two-Headed Turtle Named Thelma and Louise
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A two-headed turtle has been born in San Antonio, Texas after the twins didn’t separate in the egg.
These Animals Breathe Through Their Bottoms
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The Fitzroy river turtle breathes through its anus, along with these other two animals.
Two Giant Turtles, Bidi and Poldi, Split After 115 Years Together
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Bibi and Poldi, two Giant Turtles at an Austrian zoo, are calling it quits after a 115 year relationship. The pair has been together their whole lives but they’ve become violent towards each other, causing zookeepers to keep them apart. Gillian Pensavalle thinks they gave it a good shot and we should respect their privacy during this emotional time.
Turtle Gets Prosthetic Flippers
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Yu the loggerhead turtle gets a second chance. Five years ago, she was attacked by sharks and critically wounded -- her front flippers torn almost to stubs. That’s when a Japanese aquarium stepped in. Curator Naoki Kamezaki assembled a research team to try and get Yu swimming again. They came up with rubber flippers, held together with wet suit fabric. But it’s not been easy: on pair number 27 and almost five years later, Yu’s flippers still fall off in the water.
*Images of a pig-nosed turtle, a snake-necked turtle, and a Malayan soft-shell turtle via Shutterstock.
