Turtles do a different kind of triathlon than people. They can run - really! Turtles can move fast. And they can sure swim if they're the right kind of turtle. But as you might imagine, they have a little trouble with that bicycling part.
First they start with the running. They go walkabout somewhere, and then come running back through the grass to get to the pond.
They can zip along so quickly, that all of a sudden they are IN the pond. (And somebody missed the picture of them tumbling in!)
For the second part of their triathlon, they go for freestyle swimming. First they float around for a while to sort of warm up.
After that, they do a lesiurely front crawl. . .
And take the time to clown around a little bit and play with water refraction and reflections to pretend to be the Loch Ness monster.
When the turtle finally feels sufficiently warmed up, it starts the underwater swimming part of the competition and really dives down into the water.
Once underwater, the turtle swims around and around in the pond.
Occasionally the turtle pops up near the bank to get its bearings.
Until finally it swims past the finish line while the spectator dragonflies cheer wildly. . .
Having completed the second section of the triathlon, it takes a few moments to savor this accomplishment and do a leisurely cool-down swim.
Since turtles can't bicycle, not having the right form or bikes small enough to use, they do something different. For the final leg of the triathlon, turtles borrow from lumberjack competitions and do a form of boom running. With lumberjacks, this is a sport "in which the competitor must run across a string of logs attached end to end in the water. The object is to run across the log boom, around an obstacle, and back faster then your opponent(s)."
Our turtles do their own variation of boom running. They only run far enough along the top of ONE log (which has strings attached to keep in anchored in one spot) to find a good place to settle down. Then they participate in a sunbathing competition, seeing who can stay on the log the longest without getting scared off by some crazy woman with a camera.
Then I guess after all that strenuous competition, it's time to relax.
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I really liked your pictures and your perfect description of a Turtle Triathlon. The video was relaxing to watch, I could just sit and watch the turtles all day at your pond.
Glad you liked it Leslie! I rather enjoy watching the turtles too. That’s why when one of the neighbor’s starts looking at our pond and talking about eating turtle soup I give him the evil eye.
Oh my! That is one serious looking snapping turtle. Good thing his intention was getting back to the pond and not nibbling on toes of the camera woman.
is that a snapping turtle?
It’s definitely a good sized turtle! And yeah, Ceecee, I’m glad it didn’t want to chew on me.
I don’t really know if it’s a snapping turtle. It was NOT aggressive in any way, but it’s large size makes me wonder if that’s not what it is.
I bet turtles are just as entertaining and relaxing to watch as chickens. They seem so prehistoric to me, too. Thanks for sharing your photos and video. What were those odd ‘mahhhing’ sounds? lol!
~Lisa
They are pretty prehistoric! I enjoy watching them.
As for the sounds you’re talking about, I think you mean that noise some of the smaller frogs are making. There’s more than one kind of frog in the pond. The bullfrogs do their distinctive deep sound, but that’s some of the littler frogs “talking” to each other.
A Rural Rambling guy from Scotland just saying hello.
Patrick
http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/en/node/1035
Hi Patrick!
Thanks for dropping by!