TRINITY GESE 4

PAULA MATO

MY PET TURTLE

WHERE I GOT MY TURTLE FROM

My grandma gave me a turtle as a present for my 7th birthday. That was more than one year ago,
but it is still really small. I was very surprised and excited at the same time because I thought
my grandma was going to buy me a toy ironing board with an iron. I said thank you to her and I
kissed her. When I first got it, the turtle was very little and it was in a small aquarium with a
plastic palm tree. We had to take the tree out later because it fell over a lot. Its hard to figure out
if a turtle is a female or male, and my grandma didnt know. I put the turtle in my bedroom and
we all ate some birthday cake. If it turns out to be a boy, Ill call it Adrian, and if its a girl I
want to call it Adriana.

COOL FACTS ABOUT TURTLES

Turtles are reptiles. Reptiles are cold-blooded and they lay eggs. Some turtles lay eggs in the
sand, and leave them to hatch on their own. Turtles have a hard shell which protects them from
predators. My turtle fell once on accident but it was OK afterwards! Many turtles can pull their
heads into their shells, normally to hide from danger. Adrian(a) hides in its shell when scared,
when sleeping or just to relax in the morning when it doesnt feel like waking up. Turtles have
existed for around 215 million years! This makes turtles one of the oldest reptiles still alive.
They are older than lizards, crocodiles and snakes. The largest turtle in the world is the
Leatherback Sea Turtle, it can weigh more than 900 kg. There are many species of turtle that are
endangered, which means they could disappear one day. We have to try to help animals that are
endangered by taking better care of the environment.

TURTLES IN THE WILD

Turtles spend most of their lives in the water. They have webbed feet, which help them
swim. Turtles are not silent creatures. Some sound like electric motors, some sound like
belching humans and some bark like dogs. The red-footed tortoise from South America
clucks like a chicken.

About 1 in 1,000 baby sea turtles will make it to adulthood. They are a source of food for crabs,
birds, and other marine animals. However, the biggest threats to sea turtles by far are human related.
Oil spills,and plastic bags are threats that face many marine animals .

MY TURTLE NOW

Today Adrian(a) is only a little bit bigger than when my grandmother gave it to me. It eats a lot
of prawns but it doesnt like turtle food. My turtle cant eat lettuce or any other vegetables, but
sometimes we feed it meat. I think I am going to buy a bigger aquarium for him/her to be more
confortable. There are a lot of aquariums with many things for turtles to enjoy. They have got
platforms, floating logs, moss balls... For me the best option is to buy a floating log for her/ him
to have a good time whenever Adrian is bored. I think a moss ball is not going to be so
interesting as a floating log!!!
QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever had a pet turtle?

2. Do you think turtles are beautiful animals?

3. Do you know any endangered species? If yes , which ones?