theTurtleRoom

From Garden State Tortoise: "This is 'eggciting'! This is the first egg produced by the Pancake Tortoise group we have here from Turtle Survival Alliance What a way for these #endangeredanimals to kick off the new year! Time will tell if it’s fertile and you can learn about this amazing group by checking out the TSA’s latest magazine or get a quick briefing about them in our blog on [the Garden State Tortoise] website." The Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) is a uniqu...e species of flat-shelled tortoise native to eastern Africa whose conservation status is classified as 'Critically Endangered'. The greatest threats currently facing the pancake tortoise are habitat destruction and its over-exploitation by the pet trade. In 2020 theTurtleRoom entered into a new partnership with the Turtle Survival Alliance, where we received a loan of three male and 20 female Pancake Tortoises at our husbandry facility at Garden State Tortoise. After they completed extensive testing and were determined to be free of various infections, these animals were placed in a habitat constructed to be as natural as possible. This habitat even includes a kopje, a rocky outcrop where these unique animals like to hide! We are very excited about the future of this partnership and our involvement in helping secure a future for this unique species. (Photo Credit: Chris Leone) TheTurtleRoom is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on advancing the survival of the world’s turtles and tortoises through collaborative education, conservation, and research programs. To support our work worldwide please visit: https://theturtleroom.org/donate

Tonight's Pondcast is NOW LIVE on YouTube, and Facebook LIVE! Tonight The Pondcast crew is sitting down with special guest Ari Taub, an American film director and producer. Ari is a lifelong turtle lover and is working on a new documentary film series based on North American chelonians. His goal with this exciting new venture is to focus on some of the champions in the world of turtles and the work being done to help them. He also is interested in telling the story of where t...urtles have gone and how drastically things have changed for them in recent decades. https://www.youtube.com/user/theTurtleRoom https://www.facebook.com/theTurtleRoom TheTurtleRoom is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on advancing the survival of the world’s turtles and tortoises through collaborative education, conservation, and research programs. To support our work worldwide please visit: theturtleroom.org/donate

The Pondcast, Episode 73 In this exciting episode, your hosts are with a good friend of theirs, Ari Taub, an American film director and producer. Ari is perhaps best known for his movie, The Fallen, a 2004 war film about the perspectives of Italian, German, and American soldiers during World War II. His latest movie, '79 Parts, is a blend of comedy and organized crime period piece that is set in 1979 and stars Eric Roberts. Ari is also a lifelong turtle lover. He has gotten ...to know Anthony and Chris quite well over the years, in preparation for a new documentary film series he is creating on North American chelonians. His goal with this exciting new venture is to focus on some of the champions in the world of turtles and the work being done to help them. He also is interested in telling the story of where turtles have gone and how drastically things have changed for them in recent decades. https://www.kickstarter.com//turtles-of-north-america-wher

Join us LIVE tonight @ 7pm EDT, for a BRAND NEW Pondcast! This month The Pondcast crew will be sitting down with special guest Ari Taub, an American film director and producer. Ari is a lifelong turtle lover and is working on a new documentary film series based on North American chelonians. His goal with this exciting new venture is to focus on some of the champions in the world of turtles and the work being done to help them. He also is interested in telling the story of whe...re turtles have gone and how drastically things have changed for them in recent decades. We will once again be broadcasting LIVE through YouTube, and Facebook LIVE, so you can find us on your favorite social media platform of choice! Be sure to subscribe/follow ahead of time as this will be one you WONT want to miss! https://www.youtube.com/user/theTurtleRoom https://www.facebook.com/theTurtleRoom TheTurtleRoom is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on advancing the survival of the world’s turtles and tortoises through collaborative education, conservation, and research programs. To support our work worldwide please visit: theturtleroom.org/donate

The time has come to put up a new theTurtleRoom Calendar, and featured for January is the turtle with a "big" ego, Platysternon megacephalum megacephalum! Grab your own calendar today http://ow.ly/3tWS50CYn2r The two most obvious characteristics of Platysternon megacephalum megacephalum (Chinese Big-headed turtle) is an overly large head and a long, thin tail. Unlike other species, the skull is 100% bone with no openings in the upper surface making it impossible to retract in...to the shell. Lacking defense, the big-headed turtle will go on the offensive with its powerful bite and sharp beak, which coincidentally assist a purely carnivorous diet of small marine life such as mollusks, fish, and worms. Chinese Big-headed turtles occur in South\Southwestern China, as well as Northern Thailand to Southern Burma. Inhabiting rocky mountain streams with fast moving water, they emerge only at night to hunt. Being a lousy swimmer, megacephalum use their tails for support along the stream bed and their powerful jaws to climb rocks and tree’s. Like most Asian species however, Platysternon megacephalum megacephalum has become scarce in its native range due to over collection for the Chinese food and medicine trade, and is red listed by the IUCN as Endangered. (Photo Credit: Cris Hagen) TheTurtleRoom is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on advancing the survival of the world’s turtles and tortoises through collaborative education, conservation, and research programs. To support our work worldwide please visit: http://ow.ly/21Ux50CYn2s