The Complex Life of an Aquatic Turtle- Simplified
It is half past noon and the sun is shining bright and high in the sky. The water is pleasantly warm, but I would still prefer to bask in the sunlight. I am a species known to humans as Graptemys pseudogeographica, or simply an aquatic turtle. I enjoy what may seem to be a simple life, but it is far more complex. Humans are not the only ones who live and struggle to survive.
It all started when I was born. I along with my siblings hatched from our eggs and crawled out of the dirt. I know I felt it in my heart to walk towards the water. I even heard a small voice that told me to go as I moved forward. Of course, the water was not directly in front of us, but it was within a short distance. Short in human terms, in turtle terms, a far distance. We started out as the miraculous seven when we began our journey. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon. The light pink and bright orange hue began to push out the night sky and stars. The air was crisp and cool as we emerged. Dew droplets covered the tall blades of grass ahead. Through the cold, wet blades we walked into the morning sun. The water was so close yet so far. After what felt like hours my little legs made it to the edge of the lake. I peered below and saw no signs of life in the dark, muddy water. I turned around only to notice the miraculous seven had become five. I wished to go back and find them, but I saw a large figure running towards us on the edge of the lake. It was a human, half dressed, long legs, and singing. He was singing while he was running, squinting as the sun shone in his eyes. He ran by knocking me into the water along with three of my siblings. The last he trampled and had not even noticed. He ran past the lake and into the rising sun.
After being forcefully pushed into the lake, I took my chances and dove beneath the surface of the water. To my surprise there were many forms of life below from turtles, to fish, to plants. The five of us stayed close together as we explored the water for the most part. One of my siblings got brave and swam out a little further than the rest of us. He swam right into a larger fish’s mouth. He was eaten right before our eyes. The fish swam away proud he snagged a good meal. In this new world, we were small and helpless. The only way to live is to survive.
I began to learn what plants were safe to eat below the surface and that I could pretty much eat anything smaller than me in the water. After getting adjusted to the life in the water, I made sure to find a safe place to bask. Its part of our instinct to bask in the sunlight. By doing this, I will be able to completely dry out my shell. Staying in the water for too long will cause mold and algae to grow on my shell as well as inside it, causing complications to my health. My species can survive up to fifty years in the wild, and I intend to survive that long.
I was able to find a broken tree branch floating in the water. The sun was high in the sky and shining bright, perfect for basking. My small legs were very problematic while trying to climb up on the branch as it continued to float. After the third attempt, I was able to make it on board. Luckily, it was empty, for now at least. I had the opportunity to pick my own spot and bask. I stretched my legs out and away from my shell and stretched my neck away from my shell too. I closed my eyes and let my shell absorb the sun’s rays. The rays were hot and provided much needed heat to my shell.
Weeks passed since my hatching and left of our miraculous seven were only three. A new batch of hatchlings recently came to the water, a group of five. We all stay close together and travel together. This way we avoid predators and protect each other. When we bask, we stack on top of each other. This is just our nature; we enjoy being close.
The weather is warm, and the sun remains out longer than it did a few weeks ago. More humans have visited the area recently. On one occasion, I was swimming around searching for food when I came across something small and wiggly. I was not the only one who noticed it. Gathered around were other turtles and fish just watching the creature wiggle in the water. I looked around and no one else seemed to want to eat it, so I lunged forward and bit it. The bite hurt, but it was in my mouth, I could feel it wiggling around. I also felt pain, intense pain and realized I could not open my mouth. Panicked, I tried to swim away only to be tugged back into place. The other turtles and fish scrammed as if they were afraid of what was going to happen next. I tried once again to pull away from whatever had its grip on my mouth and swim away to finish my meal. This time not only was I pulled back into place, I was yanked and pulled throughout the lake which such speed. I then was being pulled up after being pulled across for a few seconds. The water became clearer as I moved up and the surface of the water and sun were visible to me. After a split second I was pulled up in the air and dangling for dear life. I could not see below me, but I saw what was in front of me. It was a young human who looked to be confused. I was panicking and just wanted to be put back in the water. I pulled my legs into my shell as a form of retraction to try and convey my fear. My head could not be pulled in since I was still tightly gripped to whatever this thing was. Looking back at the human, I notice there is an older one present as well now. The two talk for a moment and then look back at me. This is it, this is my end. The older one reaches out and touches my shell slowly, taking me in his hands. He opens my mouth, something I could not do when I tried, and pulls out a shiny silver hook. Is this why the other fish did not attempt to bite, they saw the sharp end on the food?
Its out now, and I just look at him, my heart racing. Is he going to eat me now? I just stare as he moves his mouth for a while. I think he was speaking to me, but I do not understand human language, it is foreign to me. I just stare and blink slowly, as if in response to his words. He smiles and puts me down on the ground. He lays a small white creature in front of me. It is the same as the creature that was on the hook. I look up and look back down. I bite and grab the creature. This time, there is no pain. I look back up at the human and turn and fall back into the water, meal in mouth.
I have lived a long life, but this life is not yet over. I am now at the age where I can mate and lay my eggs. I have seen many summers and many winters but if I were to guess, I would say I have seen at least twelve, maybe more.
After mating, I start carrying fertilized eggs. These eggs must be laid for the safety of my health and theirs. When day breaks, I crawl out of the water and attempt to find a safe place to lay my eggs. I spot a tree with an opening by its base and low shrubbery surrounding it. I begin crawling in that direction. I am much bigger in size than what I was when I first walked across this ground all those years ago. I do not have to worry much about predators. My shell is hard, my nails are long, and my bite is strong. I do have to worry about humans running through the area and dumping their trash everywhere. I crawl past several shiny small papers that end up sticking to me. I finally reach the location with all my new junk, and after what feels like hours, I lay all eight of my eggs. I quickly cover them with a small layer of dirt and head back to the lake, taking these shiny pieces with me. I continue with my daily routine and hope to see my hatchlings soon.
I have yet to see my hatchlings and it is getting close to the time for them to hatch. I wonder if their journey will be as hard as mine was all those summers ago. I crawl on top on my log with my fellow turtles and bask. Hopefully they will all make it home.
Work Cited
Stinson, M. "ADW: Graptemys Pseudogeographica: INFORMATION." Animal Diversity Web. 2006. Web. 10 Sept. 2020.