I used to have a turtle my sister bought me for 10 dollars from Chinatown. His name was Henry. I remember the day my sister gave him to me, I was on the subway holding him in his little yellow cage and thinking, "What is going on here? The irony!" He was a red-eared slider I found out later on. And required much, much more then 10 dollars to take care of him.
The diamondback terrapin, also known as red-eared sliders, are turtles identified by the large diamond-like markings on their shells. They are often found in the salt marshes of Jamaica Bay.
No, they do not fly like the title might suggest. But we do.
Now for those of you who have been to John F. Kennedy Airport or LaGuardia know that flying through them is more then likely not a pleasant experience. One time, a flight of mine was delayed for an hour and half because of runway traffic.
Imagine this, 78 diamondback terrapin turtles on a runway of JFK.
In July of 2009, these turtles invaded the runway of JFK to mate. According to a New York Times article, the turtles may have been attracted to the sand along one side of the runway that led to the water. Adult diamondback terrapins mate in the early spring, and clutches of 8-12 eggs are laid in sand dunes in the early summer. They hatch in late summer or early fall.
They were later safety picked up and removed.
Only in New York.
Photo: Guardian.uk
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