News comes from India that a tortoise believed to be 250 years old has died in a zoo in Kolkata. A good "paper trail" exists to document this long life span as the animal was the pet of Robert Clive (1725-1774) British military commander and founder of the British Empire in India. We know that many turtles and tortoises have very long life spans, but it is rare that one is as well documented as this or that links to significant historical figures such as Clive of India.
I have heard apocryphal stories for years about snapping turtles in the Southeastern US that have been found to have flint arrowheads or musket balls embedded in their shells. I have never seen them documented, but frankly it could probably happen. This story also reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was a child, Minn of the Mississippi. Minn is a snapping turtle born in Minnesota, who in the course of a very long lifetime travels the entire length of the Mississippi River. The story of her life on this journey is used to explain the natural history of the river and the significant historical events that have happened there. It is still in print and a beautifully illustrated children's book. I bought it for my kids. I always carry in my memory the wonderful illustration of a moss-backed Minn underwater perched on top of a pile of pirate treasure.
2 comments:
Wow, that was one of my favorite books too...the picture of Minn swimming around in the whirlpool was pretty cool...
There were lots of great pictures. I really liked the notes and pictures in the margins a la Ernest Thompson Seton. I grew up on the river in Memphis so the book always had a special meaning for me.
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