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Cooters
Oct 18, 2016 3:53:54 GMT -5
Post by Sam on Oct 18, 2016 3:53:54 GMT -5
The Eastern River Cooter is a large turtle at maturity. Wiki says the carapace (upper shell) may reach a length of 16.5 inches. I've been watching some over the last 3 or 4 years that I think are substantially larger. One particular distinctive feature of the Eastern River Cooter is that they have the ability to breathe underwater through a sac which is based in their tail. This allows them to stay underwater for extended periods of time, and makes their behavior harder to study. I've waited for the river elevation here to get down low enough for them to come out on the rocks and logs to 'sun'. As night time temps cool it is a marvel to see these large turtles climb out onto a sunny ledge or log. They will most often even extend their large, webbed feet like a solar collector to soak up the welcome warmth. I've seen some with hind feet that must approach 6 inches or more across. !!! So far I've only encountered smaller turtles. If the water stays low, I hope to see and photograph some of the larger ones. Pictured are a group of small Cooters enjoying the sun. These are pretty far away on the opposite side of the river rom me. Here's one on my favorite 'cooter' log. This one appears to be in the 20 pound range. I've seen much larger.
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Cooters
Oct 18, 2016 10:29:21 GMT -5
Post by magix on Oct 18, 2016 10:29:21 GMT -5
2 good photos, 2nd great shot
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Cooters
Oct 18, 2016 14:12:43 GMT -5
Post by les on Oct 18, 2016 14:12:43 GMT -5
Very good Sam
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Cooters
Oct 19, 2016 4:31:19 GMT -5
Post by Sam on Oct 19, 2016 4:31:19 GMT -5
Thank you magix and Les.
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