Hawksbill HopeAn Introduction to the Hatchlings
- A red-eared slider
See the tiny white egg tooth attached to its mouth? A hatchling uses its egg tooth to poke a hole in its shell.
A river cooter
A painted turtle
They also have very different undersides.
- A red-eared slider. See the yellow opening? That’s where the yolk used to be attached before the turtle absorbed it completely while developing.
A river cooter
And a painted turtle
The experiment (yes, that’s the reason for all the hard work so far!) will begin in September. We’ll be investigating whether PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags affect the growth and development of painted turtles. A PIT tag is a microchip encased in glass injected into a turtle’s body for identification. A scanner reads the tag and produces a number unique to its bearer. For the experiment, three turtles will be designated to each tank: the first injected with a tag, the second untagged, and the last operated just like the first but not tagged. All turtles will be weighed and measured each month.
Hawksbill Hope tagged turtles
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