Why Do So Many People Love Turtles?

When I started painting animal coins, I never expected turtles to be the animal requested most often. That surprised me! Ok, I know that in many cultures turtles symbolize longevity, wisdom, and good luck. Was that why? So I decided to do a little research and found out some pretty amazing things.

• Turtles are one of the oldest living reptiles. They were even around during the time of the Dinosaurs! The oldest turtle on record lived to be 188 years old. Lots of wisdom there!
• Sea Turtles can hold their breath for up to 5 hours underwater. Of course, they usually don't do this, preferring to come up for air every 5 - 10 minutes. Still a pretty cool superpower to have.
• Sea turtles have an excellent sense of direction. In fact, scientists have proven that they are able to detect the earths magnetic field and use it as a compass. Ok, that is just cool.
• Sea turtles swim for long distances migrating, sometimes as much as 1,400 miles from their feeding grounds to where they nest. Females often return back to the same beach where they were born.
• Think turtles are slow? The Leatherback Sea Turtle can run 6 mph on land!
• Their diet is so interesting. When they are growing, they eat a protein diet. Once they reach full size, they switch to a plant based diet. Even more impressive, some turtles can go a whole year without eating.
• Unlike cartoons we have all seen, turtles don't shed their shells. The shell is a part of them and is made up of 60 different bones that are all connected together. The shell also has nerve endings, so they actually can feel when you are touching them!
• You gotta cheer for the "underdog." Only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings makes it to adulthood. Even the temperature can influence their gender. There are usually more female hatchlings in warmer environments, and more males when cooler or under 85 degrees.

But the best reason of all to pick them as your favorite animal is... when they elegantly swim through the water, they remind us of a tropical vacation!

​Hugs, Ann