Be shell-bound by Turtles this summer at Fernbank Museum

Now through September immerse yourself in the world of Turtles the new Fernbank exhibit that explores these beloved reptiles that predate dinosaurs Turtles is primarily about the biodiversity of their species their evolutionary history and conservation issues and solutions reported Sarah Arnold Director of Tuition for Fernbank Museum Must-sees include enclosures with live animals aquatic and terrestrial larger-than-life models and animal encounters held - times a day The exhibit is produced and staffed by Little Ray s Exhibitions with live specimens provided by FARE Foundation for Animal Rescue and Training Canada s largest exotic animal rescue Photo by Clare S Richie Credit Clare S Richie Come also see a model that dispels the myth that turtles leave or shed their shell A turtle s shell is part of their body and grows with them their entire life Arnold explained It s made of two pieces fused together the carapace top and the plastron bottom Think all turtles retract their heads and limbs inside their hard shells for protection Come meet an albino Asian softshell turtle who challenges that notion On softshell turtles the bony plates are much smaller and the edges are more like cartilage covered with this leathery skin Arnold stated I ve seen the brownish speckled ones in the Chattahoochee River They can bury themselves on the bottom and use their long neck as a snorkel Another native Georgia species is the box turtle seen along the WildWoods trails outside the museum and as a star in the animal encounter held in the theater efforts from the exhibit Turtles are exothermic explained Mike Lyon Little Ray Director of Guest Experience as he held a box turtle They rely on external sources of heat so a warm road is the perfect place to stop and take a nap Credit Clare S Richie Unfortunately that puts turtles in danger unless an adult can move them to safety After describing the turtle s diet life span and other fun facts Lyon emphasized that clean water is critical to a turtle s survival How are we going to help with that Lyon sought Don t litter a young visitor answered Yes don t litter and conserve water by turning off the tap when you brush your teeth Lyon urged If everybody does it that will make a difference After the venture guests lined up to pet a Russian tortoise Speedy a connection that Little Ray s hopes will reinforce conservation behaviors Credit Clare S Richie Georgia-specific turtle conservation successes are also on display in the exhibit including efforts to protect the Diamondback Terrapin that lives in our coastal brackish water mix of fresh and salt water This turtle was previously hunted for soup and now faces threats of loss of habitat and getting caught in commercial crab traps There are a lot of groups along the Georgia coast that do supplemental breeding nest protection and encourage crabbers to use traps that allow the terrapins to escape Arnold announced One guest Elizabeth Lozano-Hensley reminisced about spending summers protecting loggerhead sea turtles alongside the Georgia Department of Natural Materials We worked at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center to locate and protect nests and tag sea turtles on Jekyll Island and St Catherines Island Lozano-Hensley shared We also worked with NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for water testing and coral reefs which are sanctuaries for sea turtles Her sons were among the guests lucky to catch a limited turtle feedings Countless turtles are omnivores Brent with Little Ray s explained as he opened the enclosure to deliver a snack At present we are feeding them shrimp Photo by Clare S Richie After the feeding Lozano-Hensley s sons and her friend s daughters posed together on a life-size leatherback sea turtle We like to come to all of these traveling exhibits and turtles are all of our favorites Lozano-Hensley disclosed Get Turtles tickets here Animal encounters are M-F a m p m p m Weekends a m p m p m p m See the exhibit paired with after-hours events or after a walk-through Spirit Animals The post Be shell-bound by Turtles this summer at Fernbank Museum appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta