Excitement! Well I absolutely had to dash across and have a 'sticky beak' (peek) too! If you look closer down there in the water near the boy's left shoulder you'll see what was looking up at him! These little critters are
Oblong Turtles and are endemic to the south west of WA as opposed to the
Red Eared Slider which is native to parts of the US and Mexico.. as one of the most popular 'pet' turtles, the Red Slider is shipped around the world, with some escaping into the wild resulting in their inclusion on the
'list of 100 globally invasive species', and not welcome in our wetlands. At one point the young boy was joined by his brothers, one of whom clutched my leg as he looked over the edge, I had the fleeting feeling that I could end up in beside this angry looking little turtle with the big claws :) Happy Monday, hope your week is off to a good start, take care.....p.s. it's going to be a
Hyde Park few days.....
Very nice shots again.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Joop
Great shots and that turtle does look "p---ed off"!! I wouldn't want to run into him in what he considers "his" territory!! Hope you have a beautiful week, Grace, take care, avoid turtles and enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a long neck he has, Grace!
ReplyDeleteMy what a long neck that turtle has!
ReplyDeleteFine story and excellent photos. Didn't know about the invasive turtle spices. That little boy looks fascinated to watch the turtle.
ReplyDeleteI'd be excited has the little ones!:) That's a fine looking specimen (though very sad so many invasive species are everywhere now...)
ReplyDeleteLook at the claws!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the reflections in the first image. Really great.
ReplyDeleteHow fantastic! The whole collection, Grace. Wonderful you could get such great shots!!!
ReplyDeleteI love turtles!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good turtle where one needs to avoid the claws rather than the mouth as with the snapping turtle.
ReplyDeletereally nice Grace !
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be that children... ! :-(((
This is the first time I see a turtle with so a long neck...
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry the red-slider is invading Perth!
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to see a child so excited.
Good shots, angry looking beast he.
ReplyDeleteDid you shove the kid in perhaps....?
He is so cute with such a long neck.
ReplyDeleteRe your comment about the camellias ... Mine are winter bloomers. Not really sure why our builder selected those, but the buds are usually gone with the first frost, but this year I covered the bush so they would last longer.
My son rescued a long necked turtle - crossing a street, while he was on his way to Fremantle on Sunday. Such a long neck!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a cranky turtle!
ReplyDeleteThat first photo is really sweet.
ReplyDeleteNinja invasion!
ReplyDeleteI remember mother buying me one of these when I was about the age of the boy in the photo. It was less than 2 inches across and not nearly as sinister looking as the one with green moss growing from his shell.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely shots - and what a huge turtle.
ReplyDeleteFantastic shots, Grace. As usual, you are a mine of new and fascinating information.
ReplyDeleteNasty little toe nippers Grace.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen one of these water guys before. This one seems to be straining his neck to ensure that he looks a tad threatening. Amazing sight.
ReplyDeleteWow. Great shots, and yes a bit scary too, would loved to have seen him though...
ReplyDeleteNice photos!
ReplyDeleteDid you call the hotline? :)
ReplyDeleteAdorable critters, how lucky you are to be there and take pictures, I'm always enchanted by turtles and this one is very special and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLéia
Introducing non-native species to an environment is virtually always a bad idea. Beavers are decimating the forests of Tiera del Fuego because they lack any predators. They were introduced from Canada more than 100 years ago to start a local fur industry, but it does not get cold enough for their fur to develop to a commercially successful quality.
ReplyDeleteProbably too cold for them here, we have the snapping turtles that will take a finger off, they come into my garden and dig a nest hole and lay eggs then disappear. They might eat those other turtles if they came around here.
ReplyDeleteHe definitely looks angry. Maybe he thought you were paparazzi!
ReplyDelete