Turtle and Tortoise Time with Strange Creature - CLOSED, everyone won something!

[HuniPi]

Burrow rolling

You were the first person to roll a 20... which means you get ANOTHER dip in the prize pool!

Moss Turtle 2 pls ;v;

[anemosagkelos]

Reverse Turtle Trivia
01. Turtles have been roaming the earth for over 200 million years. The earliest known turtle fossils are from the Triassic Period, about 220 million years ago
02. Female turtles can store sperm for up to four years.
03. Turtles can drown.
04. Turtles cry for a reason. They have a special organ that gets rid of the excess salt, kind of like a filter, which is then excreted out of their eyes.
05. Sea turtles prevent overgrowth by grazing on seagrass beds and sea sponges within coral reefs.
06. There are approximately 360 species of turtles.
07. A group of turtles is called a "bale", and a group of tortoises is called a "creep."
08. Herpetologists consider the wood turtle to be among the most intelligent of the turtles.
09. Turtles appear to have lost their teeth about 150-200 million years ago.
10. It is estimated that only one out of 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings survives to be an adult.

[lilacfishie]

I found a lot of stuff!
Roll 1: 17 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 2: 13 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 3: 01 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 4: 20 = 3 pieces of hay
Roll 5: 11 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 6: 14 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 7: 19 = 2 pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay: 12 pieces of hay

Sparkling Sunrise was excited to check out some of the burrows around the Swamp! When Strange Creature pointed them out, she couldn't wait to see who was snuggled up and warm inside. Carefully, she approached one and stuck her head in. When she came face to face with a foal curled up, she gasped. Before she could speak, the little one told her he was playing a good game of Hide and Seek. She commended them on their hiding spot while she glanced around. The tunnel seemed pretty stable! After reminding the foal to be safe, she pulled her head back out and trotted over to the next burrow. She was fully prepared to laugh if all the burrows she looked in ended up having all the foals playing Hide and Seek in them, but hoped that she'd see some animals that actually lived in them.

The second burrow was a glittering wonderland. There were shiny rocks, a few pebbles, some dried flowers, and even a big, red apple! Sparkling Sunrise was ready to investigate the trinkets further when a rox padded in from further in the burrow. They locked eyes, and it pinned its ears back. The little creature grew in size as its fur puffed up, and it chittered at her angrily. "Sorry! Sorry!" she called, as she backpedaled out. Well, if she was ever missing something, now she knew there was a good chance that a rox had it. Next burrow!

Thankfully, the next one had no shrieking rox or hiding foal. There was a pile of dried grass stuffed inside, and Sparkling Sunrise stared in confusion for a while. There were a few reasons she could think of why it was there. It could be bedding for something trying to keep warm. It could be a food storage spot for a kin or some other animal. Either way, she hoped it served that individual well, and moved on.

Sparkling Sunrise could barely contain her squeal in happiness when she poked her head in the next burrow and found a tortoise snuggled inside! "Hello there, friend!" she cooed at it. The creature looked on curiously, and she leaned forward more to see it better. The young totoma touched her nose to the tortoise's beak and giggled. She took in the earthen scent of the burrow, but the tortoise itself didn't smell like anything specific. "I hope I'm not disturbing you! Stay cozy!" she chimed as she backed out of the burrow. Before she walked away, she tried to make a note of that one so she could leave some berries or something there later for her new friend.

The next burrow was empty, but seemed to be a well established home for something. Sparkling Sunrise sniffed at the small animal bones and the little tufts of fur. Maybe something like a mongoose or an ermine lived here? She wasn't going to keep poking around to find out. That rox meant business, and she was not interested in upsetting any more little friends this afternoon. Onto the next!

The young totoma was definitely intrigued when she spotted slimy residue on the edge of the next burrow. Carefully, she poked her head in, minding the edges of the entrance. Her eyes widened when she discovered that the inside was covered in slugs and snails! How cute! The little creatures did not seem bothered by her presence, so she watched them for a few minutes. They were so different from her, so of course she was fascinated by them. When one of them seemed to be making its way out of the burrow, she stepped back to let it through. "Good luck!" she called out to it as she moved on.

The last burrow Sparkling Sunrise approached was deceiving. It seemed perfectly normal, but when she poked her head in, she discovered quickly that she was very wrong. A bundle of little owlcat kittens, snuggled in a pile in the back, all turned to face her. There was a split second where they all just stared, before the kittens began screeching at the intruder. The high pitched noise made Sparkling Sunrise jerk in pain, her horns knocking against the ceiling of the burrow. "Sorry sorry sorry!" she yelled as she clumsily reeled back. A headache was not how she expected this endeavor to end. When her head felt better, she would conclude she had fun, though!

[SkylerKarashi]

I found a lot of stuff!
Roll 1: 13 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 2: 15 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 3: 16 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 4: 8 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 5: 5 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 6: 4 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 7: 19 = 2 pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay = 11

13. You find several stolen items- little trinkets and the like. A rox chitters at you angrily for messing around with its stash. 2 pieces of hay.

15. You find a pool of muddy water. It could be a refuge during the hot months, but for now, it’s just a mud puddle. 1 piece of hay.

16. You find several tegus and they all want to be your friend. 2 pieces of hay.

8. You find a clutch of tortoise eggs… well, the egg shells. You also find a fat tegu. Is this a coincidence? 1 piece of hay.

5. You find an awake mini bear. Fortunately, it’s pretty docile. 1 piece of hay.

4. You find a whole hibernating mini bear. Awww! 2 pieces of hay.

19. You find a whole bunch of owlcat kittens. They are screaming. 2 pieces of hay and tinnitus.

[lilacfishie]

Turtle and Tortoise Facts!

1. Generally speaking, female turtles are larger than male turtles and male tortoises are larger than female tortoises.*
2. Tortoises can live more than a few centuries!*
3. Turtles and Tortoises are known to have good vision!*
4. Aldabra Giant Tortoises can smell water over 1km away.^
5. Giant tortoises can sleep up to 18 hours a day, and extend their necks during sleep to cool down.^
6. The top part of a turtle's shell is called the carapace and the bottom is called the plastron.+
7. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise has existed for over 100,000 years.+
8. Burrows made by Gopher Tortoises have been recorded to be as big as 20 feet deep and 50 feet long!-
9. Gopher Tortoises are opportunistic eaters.-
10. Gopher Tortoises are part of a group of land tortoises from North America that originated about 60 million years ago.-

* Source: Smithsonian Institute
^ Source: Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance
+ Source: Show Me Reptile Show
- Source: Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

[Astoria]

6. You find a grumpy skunk. OH NO! No pieces of hay.
8. You find a clutch of tortoise eggs… well, the egg shells. You also find a fat tegu. Is this a coincidence? 1 piece of hay.
14. You find that this hole is just crawling with slugs and snails. Ew. Or delicious, depending on your perspective on escargot. 1 piece of hay, mais oui.
15. You find a pool of muddy water. It could be a refuge during the hot months, but for now, it’s just a mud puddle. 1 piece of hay.
16. You find several tegus and they all want to be your friend. 2 pieces of hay.
17. You find… oh my god someone’s kid is down here, they say they’re playing hide and seek. You don’t need to worry, because tortoise burrows are really stable and more difficult to collapse than most burrows, but like. Wow. A whole child fit in here. 2 pieces of hay.
18. You find nothing; unfortunately, a swan finds you. How did a swan get in here and why does it want to kill you so badly? No pieces of hay, you have to flee the swan.

Roll 1: 17 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 2: 18 = 0 pieces of hay
Roll 3: 14 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 4: 15 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 5: 8 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 6: 6 = 0 pieces of hay
Roll 7: 16 = 2 pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay: 7 pieces of hay

Carry You With Me wanted to check out some of these burrows! After listening to others speak of it she finally found the time to make her way over there to give it a go. It would be fun yea? Truly she had never imagined they were so large! As she crawled into the first one she hadn't expected much, but as it turned out there was a child down here?! Were they alive??? Oh, yes they appeared to be alive but she hoped they weren't lost down here... "Are you okay? Do you need help at all?" She asked gently, a sense of nervousness behind the words, though hopefully it wasn't noticeable. The child replied with a no and stated they were playing hide and seek. She wasn't about to give them away and spoiler their fun so she left to check out another one.

Well, the second burrow was a nightmare, there was a very angry swan and it chased her out quickly and she was quite certain it wanted to kill her. The last thing she wanted was to be attacked and injured by it. Perhaps it was so upset because it was stuck and wanted out, however she had not the means to help it and left it at that.

The third burrow was filled with slugs and snails, which wasn't THAT bad, but wasn't ideal. She shuddered as she thought about it some more after exiting the burrow.

The fourth burrow had some muddy water in it. This wasn't the worst burrow she had found herself in, and the smell of water and dirt combined wasn't that bad. If it had been warm she may have fancied herself a mud bath. Giving a warm chuckle she exited and moved onto the next one.

The fifth had some egg shells and a fat Tegu, it was no surprise as it had likely eaten them. Though perhaps it hadn't, she supposed she shouldn't assume, it just appeared the likely scenario, but perhaps it had just stumbled upon the egg shells much like she just had.

The six one had a skunk! It did it's little stomp and kept raising it's tail and she quickly looked for the exit. Thankfully she made it out before she smelled for the rest of eternity. She knew that was a stretch, but she'd smelled the smell of skunk on one before and it was NOT an easy smell to rid oneself of. It was something she desperately hoped would never be something she'd have to experience first hand.

The final one was probably her favorite. It was filled with Tegus and they wanted to be her friend. Outside of the one that she had encountered in one of the previous burrows, she had never had a chance to examine a Tegu up close like this. She was pleasantly surprised by them and found them quite exciting to be around.

Exiting the burrow after spending a little bit of time with the lizards she gave a smile and couldn't wait to share her adventures today with one of her friends.

[Anhelisk]

6. You find a grumpy skunk. OH NO! No pieces of hay.
8. You find a clutch of tortoise eggs… well, the egg shells. You also find a fat tegu. Is this a coincidence? 1 piece of hay.
10. You find a tortoise… shell. Oh, this guy’s been dead for a while. 1 piece of hay.
15. You find a pool of muddy water. It could be a refuge during the hot months, but for now, it’s just a mud puddle. 1 piece of hay.
7. You find a clutch of tortoise eggs. 1 piece of hay.
10. You find a tortoise… shell. Oh, this guy’s been dead for a while. 1 piece of hay.
18. You find nothing; unfortunately, a swan finds you. How did a swan get in here and why does it want to kill you so badly? No pieces of hay, you have to flee the swan.

I found a lot of stuff!
Roll 1: 6 = 0 pieces of hay
Roll 2: 8 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 3: 10 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 4: 15 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 5: 7 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 6: 10 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 7: 18 = 0 pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay: 5 pieces of hay

Chirrup was... very bad at finding the tasked tortoises. Seven times, he was allowed to pick a den, and venture into it. Seven times, he carefully sidled up to it, and poked his head in, then walked inside if there was enough room.

When he returned, he waited patiently, until he had the attention of the lizardlike kimeti running the place. With two strung-together tortoise shells, he began rocking, starting a clicking rhythm, and after a whispered count of a-two-three-four, he started with a jaunty tune.

"First, I found some broken eggs, and a lizard too.
Then, I found an empty shell-- it made me feel quite blue.
After that, I found some mud where someone once had rest.
And after that, I found some eggs, inside an intact nest.
Another shell, I found again-- and tied it to the first.
And then I got trapped by a swan, who thought I was the worst!
I fought it off with the shells I'd found-- I flailed them on their string.
And after the beast left me alone, I came back here to sing!

So while I failed to win this game, I hope that you'll agree
That while I may not have won, a loser I can't be!"

[Anhelisk]

Lisk's Turtle Trivia, Part 1!

SECTION 1: Traditional Turtle Trivia!

1. One of the oldest human stories still physically preserved in written form mentions turtles-- the story of Gilgamesh! Enkidu is insulted by Humbaba, who refers to him as "hatchling of terrapin and turtle" as part of maligning the unusual circumstances of his birth! [1]

2. While we now think of them as charismatic megafauna, sea turtles and their shelled brethren used to be considered a critical food for fisheries, especially for island nations and long travel. In fact, the history of turtle conservation goes at least as far back as 1620, where the colonial government of Bermuda instituted a new law, "AN ACT AGYNST THE KILLINGE OF OUER YOUNG TORTOYSES," intended to protect the stocks of green sea turtles as an important fishery. [2]

3. I found this in a list of strange laws, but honestly, this should be added into conservation law in general. On Hilton Head Island, South Carolina it is illegal to shine a flashlight on a sea turtle, as it should be! [3]

4. In the world of strange patents, the year 1950 saw a patent granted to Ambrose Groh of Cincinatti, Ohio, for a turtle racetrack designed for a large number of audience members to cheer on their favourite racer! [4]

SECTION 2: Cool Biology Facts!

5. While many people may not think much about it, turtles can really enjoy having their shells scratched or petted, as they can feel through their shells! This is best practiced on a pet or an animal living in an educational facility-- don't try this with a wild animal!

6. Similarly, the old adage about grading a fish on how well it climbs a tree seems to not apply well to these tenacious testudines-- turtles and tortoises have claws suited for climbing trees, chain link fences, and other vertical obstacles, provided that they have enough texture to get a grip on.

[Tiarana]

I found a lot of stuff!
Roll 1: 2 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 2: 14 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 3: 13 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 4: 14 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 5: 11 = 1 piece of hay
Roll 6: 6 = 0 pieces of hay
Roll 7: 14 = 1 piece of hay

Total pieces of hay: 8 pieces of hay

[Tiarana]

Turtle and Tortoise facts!

1. The sex of turtles is determined by the temperature during the middle third of incubation. Higher temperatures result in more females and lower temperatures result in more males!
2. Green sea turtles are named for the color of their fat, not their shells!
3. Loggerhead sea turtles are able to maintain a temperature higher than their outside environment due to muscle movement and thick layers of fat, which allows them to survive in lower-temperature waters than other species.
4. Turtles have no diaphragm and are unable to cough.
5. Turtles take a long time to heal from injuries, but their resilience and healing abilities are remarkable. They can regenerate nerve tissue and lose large amounts of blood that would require a transfusion in other animals.
6. Turtles and tortoises are able to quickly kill off damaged cells and they are resistant to DNA damage that accumulates over time as cells divide. They barely age!
7. Leatherback sea turtles dive up to 3000 feet underwater.
8. Sea turtles migrate thousands of miles through the sea on regular routes, navigating using Earth's magnetic field.
9. Galapagos tortoises love to eat anything red, especially tomatoes!
10. There are only two extant species of snapping turtles, both of which are found in North America.

[Lirilei]

Roll 1: 12 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 2: 4 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 3: 16 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 4: 19 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 5: 17 = 2 pieces of hay
Roll 6: 15 = 1 pieces of hay
Roll 7: 19 = 2 pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay: 13 pieces of hay

[rexcorvus]

I found a lot of stuff!
Roll 1: 12 - 2 pieces of hay.
Roll 2: 15 - 1 piece of hay.
Roll 3: 17 - 2 pieces of hay
Roll 4: 12 - 2 pieces of hay.
Roll 5: 15 - 1 piece of hay.
Roll 6: 18 - No pieces of hay, you have to flee the swan.
Roll 7: 17 - 2 pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay: 10

[Lirilei]

tortoise & turtle facts

1. Tortoises can live more than 200 years
2. Turtles are among the most endangered vertebrates.
3. Turtles shed their scutes
4. Turtles “brumate” in winter
5. Tortoises and turtles have good eyes
6. A turtle’s shell is actually part of its skeleton. It’s made up of over 50 bones which include the turtle’s rib cage and spine.
7. Some turtles are carnivores (meat eaters), others are herbivores (plant eaters) and some are omnivores (a mixture of the two!). Many baby turtles start life as carnivores but grow to eat more plants as they mature.
8. Turtles have an incredibly long life span. The oldest ever recorded, named Tu”i Malila, of Tonga Island, passed away at the grand old age of 188!
9. A Group of Tortoises is Called a Creep
10. The Colour of a Tortoise’s Shell Indicates Origin

[LOLLI qAq]

Tortoise and Turtle Fact Time!

1. A group of tortoises is called a creep. (me too)
2. Tortoises are exclusively terrestrial and occur on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.
3. Tortoises have existed for over 55 million years.
4. The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) is one of five species of Mediterranean tortoises. It is named for the patterns on its shell, which have different colored dots, and the borders of a traditional Greek mosaic.
5. Turtles shed their scutes. (this is just fun to say)
6. A turtle shell contains around 50 to 60 interconnected bones.
7. A lighter shell indicates that a tortoise originally came from a warmer country. The lightest known shade means that the tortoise originates from the southern part of the Sahara Desert.
8. The plastron (the bottom shell) is usually the easiest way to differentiate sex; it tends to be flatter for females and more curved for males.
9. Leatherback sea turtles have spiny “papillae” lining their mouth and esophagus—these spines help them trap and consume their main prey species, jellyfish.
10. The largest leatherback ever recorded measured 9 feet and weighed 970kg- It was discovered on the Welsh coast in 1987.

[Anhelisk]