Kame-san, or “Mr. Turtle,” is our cute friend in the pond at Naruo Koko. He is delightful. He knows how to enjoy life. He lays out in the sun, he swims, and he comes by to see you when you walk by (he’s hoping for some turtle treats). In the winter, he disappears, but today HE IS BACK!
Jackie and I asked ourselves, where does he go?? He couldn’t hide underwater. Does he live in the bushes? Wouldn’t an animal eat him? Then again, there aren’t many animals around here. Hmmm.
So we googled and found the answer:
Most water turtles go deep into the pond and snuggle down into some mud and leaves at the bottom. Then they let themselves get cold. Their bodies slow down so they don’t need to eat anymore. Their hearts slow down too so that they beat only once every few minutes. They stop breathing through their lungs. Because their bodies are running at such a slow speed, they don’t need much oxygen, but they do need some. They can get the small amount of oxygen they need from the water. It sinks in through some specialized skin cells that are just inside the tail opening. That’s right! They “breathe” through their tails! Water turtles can stay like this for two or three months.
Eww!! Whoa!!!! I think of Kame-san as very friendly, in a personified way, at least as friendly as a mammal, but he is NOT HUMAN. This is weird. Well, I guess turtles are not people, and they can in fact sleep underwater for months at a time. This is so freaky. Well, welcome back to the mammal world, Mr. Turtle! We’re glad to see you again!