And a turtle

[redbird]

This is the turtle we saw washed up on the edge of the Harlem River this afternoon (it's probably 4 or 5 inches long (10-12 cm)):

Comments

[badgerbag]

I've been waiting for this moment for SO LONG.

http://srslycute.com/2202/dude-thats-a-tortoise/

[centuryplant]

Much as I admire the expression of pedantry in jingle form, all tortoises are turtles. Also, I think that's a Red-eared Slider, which is not a tortoise by any definition. (In New York it's probably a descendant of abandoned pets.)

[19_crows]

I agree with all of this. Red-eared Sliders are native to areas around the Mississippi but are hardy enough to live in most places in the US after they get put in local ponds. I have two of this size living in a 100 gallon tank in our kitchen.

[redbird]

Hardy enough for brackish water as well: that inlet is at the north end of New York Harbor, so it's a tidal estuary. (The Hudson is somewhat tidal a long way north of the city, in fact.)

[necturus]

Trachemys scripta elegans. I didn't know they entered brackish water.

It's interesting that the water is clean enough to support such creatures.

[redbird]

We've done a pretty good job of cleaning up the harbor, and the river, in the last few decades.

[striped]

Ooh! So cute!

[intelligentrix.livejournal.com]

That looks like a classic Red-Eared Slider, to me. I had one as a pet many years ago, until she outgrew her tank. Then, with a clean bill of health, I sent her off to join a large colony of the same species in Audubon Park.